On Friday, Jan. 22, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) held a greeting ceremony to welcome a group of exchange students and their group leader from the Central Police University (CPU) in Taiwan for specialized instruction in English in a two-week immersion program.

UHD President Dr. William Flores kicked off the ceremony extending a warm welcome to students and program participants. He encouraged students to practice their English by interacting with students, faculty and staff, daily.

Dr. Flores' greeting was followed by an introduction by Hsiao-Ming Wang, Ph.D., professor in criminal justice and director of UHD's Bayou Connection Program. As director, Wang is helping to bridge the gap between Asia and America.

"Bayou Connection is a grass-roots program in the context of globalization with a focus on the cooperation between UHD and its counterparts in Taiwan," said Wang. "This group of students is the 11th from CPU in Taiwan."

Wang continued, "Since spring 2007, more than 250 students from Taiwan have arrived UHD to study English at the English Language Institute (ELI) and to learn the criminal justice system from a comparative perspective. It is my honor and pleasure to facilitate this meaningfully international exchange activity at UHD."

Also in attendance was Barbara Belbot, Ph.D., department chair of the College of Criminal Justice, and Leigh Van Horn, interim dean of the College of Public Service, who presented the students with goodie bags to help prepare them for the program in a number of ways. The bag contain a variety of UHD items: flash drive and lanyard, Q-card, UHD computer password, post-its and much more.

The students are studying from Jan. 21 to Feb. 3, and are pursuing Taiwanese degrees in criminal justice and fire management with plans to work as police officers, fire fighters and related professions. Gail Kellersberger, director of the English Language Institute, is elated to have more international students studying at UHD.

"Cultural understanding and the sharing of knowledge form the basis of a peaceful world," said Gail Kellersberger. "We take great delight in welcoming Taiwanese students from the Central Police University each year. The exchange of ideas during the two-week program helps forge the ties of friendship and goodwill that build a better world."

The CPU group will be at UHD through a closing ceremony on Feb. 3.