A Successful Conference:
Chinese School Association in the United States 5th National Convention
It is our pleasure to report that the Chinese School Association in the United States successfully held its 5th National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 27-28, 2004. More than 250 participants and guests attended this history-making conference to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Association and our tremendous achievements in the past ten years.
During the two-day conference, we accomplished several important objectives. First, we celebrated our achievements in our first decade. We had 14 schools in 5 states when we established the Association ten years ago. Now, we have 303 registered schools in 41 states representing approximately 60,000 students and 10,000 teachers and administrators. In addition, we developed SAT II Chinese Mock Test. Further, we promoted Chinese as an official AP course approved by the College Board of the United States. We also served as an important bridge for cultural exchange and friendship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. What marvelous accomplishments by our Association! Many government officials from both countries sent their warmest congratulation letters to the convention including Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao, Under-Secretary Samuel T. Mok, Governor Kenny Quinn, Secretary of Education of Rod Paige, Under-Secretary Jack Martin, Secretary Ji Zhou, Chairman Zhaoshu Lin, Director Meihua Yan, Ambassador Jieqi Yang, Consul Generals Jinzhong Xu, Yeshun Hu and Biwei Liu, Directors Wei Qiao, Shuping Lu and Fulin Zhang, as well as the Oversea Offices from Chongqing City and Hunan Province.
Second, we discussed many important issues and shared valuable information about Chinese education in the United States. Many VIP speakers gave important addresses at the opening ceremony including Secretary Chao’s special assistant Anna S. Hui, Director Zhepeng Liu, Vice-Chairman Shuniang Lin, Director Wei Qiao, Consul General Keyu Peng, and Deputy Secretary Marina Tse. The convention also invited several keynote speakers including Marina Tse, Lianggen Zhen, Xiang Zhang, Qianhyuan Han who provided valuable perspectives on Chinese education in the United States in the new century. Conference participants had exciting discussions in five panels around several topics including (1) school management and development, (2) teaching methods, (3) Chinese education and mainstream American society, (4) support from multiple Chinese sources and (5) new ideas and strategies.
Third, we successfully conducted the presidential and the board of director elections. The new President is Dr.Jason Ma and the Vice-President is Dr. Qingyuan Han. The newly elected board members are Mr.Yuan Yao, Dr. Xun Wang, Dr. Gongfu Li, Mr.Yansheng Liu, Ms.Liqing Gu, Mr. Rungling Wu, and Ms. Wenzhi Liang. We are confident that we will all work together to strive for more successes under the new leadership of the Chinese School Association in the United States.
Last, but not least, we met many old folks and new friends. We are very glad to receive the strong and continuous support from our past presidents including Tao Ni, Jianjun Wang, Lianggen Zhen, and Zhaohui Hong. We are even more excited to meet many new friends who joined the Association in recent years including our local host Mr. Xiaoqiang Gong and his associates. It is WE, people who are committed to Chinese education, made Chinese education in the United States as a miracle in the past ten years. It is WE who will make our future even more successful!
Respectfully submitted by 5th Term of Director Board:
Norman Ho
President, Chinese Schools Association in the United States
Kai Tao,
Vice President, Chinese Schools Association in the United States
Balin Yang
Chairman, Executive Committee, Chinese Schools Association in the United States
Prepared by Xun (George) Wang
Director, Center for Research and Development, Chinese Schools Association in the United States