CSUN Seeks Host Families for 18 Chinese Scholars

People looking for a stimulating cultural exchange are needed by the China Institute at Cal State Northridge. The institute is seeking hosts who will provide temporary housing for 18 education administrators arriving from China in mid-January.

As part of a program that trains teachers, the scholars will study American society and its education system by attending classes and conducting research at CSUN, said Kwang-nan Chow, a math professor and program coordinator at the institute.

They will also go on field trips, he said, and stay until the end of the spring semester in June.

“[The hosts] will help ease these scholars into American life,” Chow said.

The families would provide the visitors with housing during their first two weeks in the Valley, Chow said.

The institute will give families $125 per visitor housed, and the educators will also reimburse hosts for food and entertainment expenses, he said.

After about two weeks, the scholars, all of whom speak English and are middle-aged, will get their own apartments, Chow said.

Still, the hosts and visitors are expected to interact frequently during the scholars’ stay.

“Hopefully they will become friends,” Chow said. “Some day [the hosts] will travel to China, and they will be taken care of by their friends in China. That’s the idea here.”

For more information, call Chow at the institute at (818) 677-3939.