Dr. Oris Griffin Meets up With Alumni in China

In the College of Education (COE), faculty members have made it a collective mission to extend the college's international presence while creating lasting educational partnerships with universities and study abroad programs around the globe. When Dr. Oris Griffin, a professor in the Adult Education/Human Resource Development (AHRD) graduate program, was invited by former AHRD student Yuanjie Dai to visit her home in China this summer and Griffin jumped at the opportunity. 

While enrolled in the AHRD program, Dai was interested in observing the differences across cultures in employee perceptions of privacy issues in the workplace. After collecting and analyzing the data from her study examining JMU employees, Dai planned to replicate her experiment back home in Wuhan, China, at Wuhan University, where she and her parents work. Dr. Griffin, Dai's graduate research advisor, agreed to make the trip and provide assistance due to her familiarity with the study. Although they were unable carry out the experiment at Wuhan University, connections were made that will continue to deepen Dr. Griffin and Dai's relationship. In addition to meeting with Dai and her family, Dr. Griffin also had the opportunity to meet with Hong "Helen" Embree, another former AHRD graduate and instructor in the Foreign Language department at JMU, at her home in Chengdu, China. During their time spent together at JMU, Embree and Dr. Griffin have been designing a summer program for high school students in China to have an opportunity to study abroad while also being able to visit colleges and universities within this region.

"I want these students to have the opportunity to experience what its like to navigate a foreign environment," stated Dr. Griffin. "It's important for them to be able to gain new academic and cultural perspectives through their studies and travel."

By establishing this partnership, Embree and Dr. Griffin are confident that JMU will become more competitive in the selection process when these international students begin submitting college applications.

"By providing these students with this learning opportunity, we are giving them a platform," stated Dr. Griffin. "A platform that allows them to understand our culture, while allowing us to conceptualize their academic values and customs. By doing this, we can help them make a smoother transition across-cultures."

Since returning from her trip, Dr. Griffin plans to incorporate new topics about her cultural experience into her Leadership and Diversity course curriculum. By creating assignments and facilitating discussions centered on the different ways cultures conduct business, students within the AHRD program will become more well-rounded, culturally competent HRD professionals.