Student Leaders to Visit Calvin

Calvin College's Asian Studies Program, together with Calvin's Center for Christian Scholarship (CCCS), will host a group of Chinese, Korean and Japanese student leaders for a one-day program on August 27 on Calvin’s campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The students have been on a five-week long tour in the United States to study U.S. foreign policy. The trip is sponsored by the United States-China Education Trust (USCET) and funded by a grant from U.S. Department of State.

The East-Asian student leaders were chosen by the Cultural Affairs Sections of U.S. embassies and consulates in their countries.

Their majors include international relations, politics, communication, and business administration. Most of the group's program took place in the Washington, D.C. area. Besides the trip to Grand Rapids, they will also visit Ann Arbor before concluding their program in San Francisco.

After a formal welcome, the student leaders will take part in a round-table discussion on Asian Studies at Calvin College, followed by two guest lectures. Speakers will emphasize the college's Christian faith and learning approach to teaching and research.

The first lecture by Corwin Smidt, executive director of The Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics, will be on "Religion, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy: What the People of Michigan Offer."

The second lecture will be given by Richard Harms, curator of the Calvin Archives, on the "History of Grand Rapids."

Following lunch and tour of the Calvin campus, the visitors will travel to the Van Andel Institute in downtown Grand Rapids for a guided visit.

The group will also visit the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum, take a walking tour of downtown Grand Rapids led by Harms, and, after dinner, visit to the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

Religion professor Diane Obenchain organized the one-day program, with help from English professor Susan Felch, Rick Zomer of Admissions, and Asian Studies department assistant Lisa Bauman. For more information, contact Obenchain at 616-526-8669 or e-mail: [email protected].