Rifka Mayani honored by Confucius Institute
On Friday, November 8th 2013, Kennesaw State University's Confucius Institute hosted its 5th anniversary celebrations and awards ceremonies at KSU's Bobbie Bailey Performing Arts Center.
Among the honorees and recipients of appreciation awards was Rifka Mayani (photo, left), associate director of operations, Enterprise Systems and Services at KSU, appreciated for her support of CIKSU. She is also an instructor in the KSU Department of Dance.
Chinese lion dance (right).
Entertainment included a lion dance and other traditional dances performed by students from North Cobb High School and the Atlanta International School; a Chinese kung fu demonstration by Jingyuan Liu, a martial arts instructor from Yangzhou University; and vocal and instrumental performances by CIKSU staff. Prior to the ceremony, Bufeng Ji, a visiting celebrity chef from Yangzhou, prepared authentic Chinese dishes for guests at the Jolley Lodge.
There are about 70 Confucius Institutes in the USA and about 400 worldwide. CIKSU was named one of the best Confucius Institutes in 2012. “Now, we have about 10,000 students enrolled in our programs from pre-K to college,” said Ken Jin, executive director of CIKSU, “and more than 500 students and professionals have traveled to China to learn Chinese language, culture, and education best practices with CIKSU's grants.”
Rifka Mayani receives her appreciation award from KSU's Confucius Institute, with Arlethia Perry-Johnson (left) and Ken Jin (right).
Since its launch in 2009, the Confucius Institute at the Kennesaw State University has organized more than 50 Chinese cultural performances, workshops, and events for KSU and the community; secured grants totaling in the millions of dollars to support KSU's global engagement initiatives and community outreach programs, which benefit the internationalization and economic development in Georgia; helped over 500 students in high school and college, educational leaders, and professionals to study Chinese language, culture, and best practices in education; and provided Chinese cultural and business workshops for companies including the Home Depot, UPS, Sodexo, and Atlanta Ballet. In general, the various Confucius Institutes around the world teach cultural and language programs, while largely avoiding political and controversial subjects such as human rights and democracy.
In this school year 2013-14, the Institute has 40 specially trained Chinese teacher/research assistants offering 306 classes. CIKSU serves 20 schools in four counties: Bibb, Cobb, DeKalb, and Hall, as well as at the Georgia Virtual School. CIKSU is also launching a Chinese culinary art and martial art programs for students and the local community.
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