TAMIU Readies to Welcome Taiwanese Visitors
As part of its increasing international visibility, Texas A&M International University will host two international student groups in June, attracted by the opportunities to study the English language and learn about nursing practices.
Approximately 30 students from Taiwan’s Fu Jen Catholic University will attend English language classes offered by the University’s International Language Institute (ILI) from June 16-July 25. A second group, also from Fu JEN, will be visiting TAMIU nursing programs and local hospitals with an aim to initiating a students and faculty exchange program in the future.
Nico Wiersema, ILI director, said the Fu Jen visit is an important one for the University and large-scale international language instruction.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the University to showcase our language instruction abilities on a substantially large scale for an international client. Fu Jen Catholic University is one of Taiwan’s top universities and we are honored to be their host,” Wiersema said.
“In addition to our class instruction, the students from Fu Jen will be visiting various Laredo historic and cultural sites and participating in the life of the community through visits and tours. It’s an enormous undertaking and we would like to encourage any community group that would like to host a visit by them or has a suggestion for their visit itinerary to contact us,” he added.
The 11-member Fu Jen Nursing group will join TAMIU nursing students in a three-week summer seminar course that focuses on the NCLEX-RN review for the exam.
Natalie Burkhalter, interim dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and director of the Dr. F. M. Canseco School of Nursing, said the summer group’s visit is an extension of her visit to the Taiwan campus last February.
“I was very impressed with their campus‘ nursing school and hospitals and with their interests in pursuing collaborative undergraduate and graduate degrees with TAMIU. They are also working diligently to offer their country’s first Nurse Practitioner Program, which we hope to help them to develop. This summer visit is also a precursor to a possible student exchange program that we envision,” Burkhalter said.
For additional information on the visit of the Taiwanese groups, contact Wiersema at 326-2727, e-mail nico.wiersema@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in Anthony J. and Georgia A. Pellegrino Hall 302 E., or Burkhalter at 326.2450, Natalie@tamiu.edu or visit offices in Dr. F. M. Canseco Hall, room 315.
University summer office hours are from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and from 8 a.m. – noon on Fridays.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu