Excitement and honor were the emotions one UNF assistant professor and assistant director felt when he learned had been chosen to teach in Hong Kong for fall and spring 2010.
Dr. David Jaffee is one of five American educators who will be traveling to Hong Kong as a Fulbright scholar and visiting professor. The five scholars will spend 10 months in Hong Kong, and each will be placed at a different university.
The work Jaffee will be participating in is unique from past Fulbright scholars, because he and the other American experts will help Hong Kong develop a general education program. The universities’ administrations want students to benefit from general education programs which will expose them to a broad range of disciplines. By enabling a general education program, Hong Kong universities will transform from three-year degree programs to four-year degree programs. The fourth year will be the general education program.
Jaffee will be placed at City University of Hong Kong in Kowloon. He will work with faculty and staff to develop the teaching techniques and courses for the Hong Kong universities’ general education programs in 2012.
Jaffee said he was notified about the selection in February and was honored. He said the scholarship is quite competitive, and he is excited for the learning opportunity.
“It will be interesting for me as a sociologist to observe how decisions are made and policies are developed in a different environment,” Jaffee said.
Jaffee will also work with the applied social studies department at City University of Hong Kong. Within this department, there are sociology courses.
Jaffee has been in an administrative position at UNF since spring 2000. He served as director of Faculty Enhancement Center for two years and also member of sociology department. Since 2006, he has been director of undergraduate studies in academic affairs department. After his tenure as director of Faulty Enhancement Center, he moved to College of Arts and Sciences as associate dean. One year he was interim dean of COAS. In fall 2010, he will be appointed as a member of the faculty in the sociology department.
