Teachers College has established a ground-breaking relationship with Chinese Culture University in Taipei, Taiwan, which will allow arts education students to take the first half of a Teachers College course of study while remaining in Taiwan.

The new collaboration is the first of its kind between Teachers College and an institution in Taiwan.

The relationship--formalized during a trip to Taiwan made in early January by Harold Abeles, professor of music education--will allow students to take up to 16 credits of Teachers College courses in Taiwan. The students will then be able to apply those credits toward Teachers College degrees.

Abeles will teach the first two Teachers Colleges courses in Taiwan this summer. A third course will be taught by Lan-ku Chen, dean of the College of Arts at Chinese Culture University, who earned his Doctor of Education degree in music education at Teachers College.

"This new arrangement will allow a student to earn a master's degree from Teachers College with one year of residence in America instead of two," Abeles said. "Many music educators in Taiwan already have career positions there. They can leave their jobs for one year to earn a Teachers College degree, but probably not two."

According to Abeles, administrators at Chinese Culture University and Teachers College hope to expand their relationship to other fields of education in the years to come. The written agreement between the two institutions calls for: 1) exchange of faculty, scholars and students for lecturing, study and research; 2) exchange of theses, teaching materials and other academic and scientific literature, and 3) cooperation on academic and educational research.

The agreement was signed by Teachers College President Arthur Levine; Thomas W. Evans, chairman of the Teachers College Trustees; Chang Jen Hu, chairman of the board of Chinese Culture University, and Lin Tsai-Mei, president of the University.

The new relationship takes advantage of recent changes in the teacher-education system in Taiwan.

According to Abeles, "Teacher education in Taiwan is in the middle of a comprehensive reform period."

Columbia University Record -- May 10, 1996 -- Vol. 21, No. 26