Joyce Barnathan, president of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), and Patrick Butler, vice president, visited the Journalism School May 25-29 to plan the next three years of the MA Program in Global Business Journalism (GBJ).

They had dinner May 26 with Journalism School Dean Liu Binjie, who emphasized the importance of the practical training the GBJ program provides students. ICFJ is Tsinghua's partner on the GBJ program. Dean Liu said China's importance as a global economic leader requires sophisticated reporting on business and economics. He added that the GBJ program is having a positive impact on the coverage of business news in China.

Executive Dean Yin Hong and the ICFJ leaders met May 27 to plan the next three years of the program. Dean Yin talked about the student publications and websites -- QingXin News, QingXin View and Qingxin. Barnathan suggested that the best work of the GBJ students could be showcased on one of the school's websites.

Professor Shi Anbin, associate dean of international development, and Barnathan discussed the possibility of sending students to City University of New York (CUNY) to take summer classes. Professors Hang Min and James Breiner, co- directors of the GBJ Program, talked about the program course schedule and new faculty.

Later, Barnathan and Butler attended Professor Lee Miller’s Data Mining class and saw student presentations on data tools for journalists. They also met with a dozen graduate students to hear their opinions about the strengths of the program and how it could be improved. Several students mentioned that they liked the courses given by the international professors and Professor Fan Hong's Intercultural Communication course. International students asked for more options for internships.

Barnathan told the students she is very proud of them and said the work that they are doing is having real impact in China.

The ICFJ visitors also had some fun while they were here. They made visits to the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. They also saw the journalism students' annual talent show, which included, singing, dancing, and comedy skits.

Prof. SHI Anbin (left), Patrick Butler, Dean LIU Binjie, Joyce Barnathan, Prof. HANG Min, QIAN Jingjing, Prof. James Breiner (right)