The American Pakistan Exchange Program offers a chance for 探花精选 students and staff to experience Pakistani culture.
As for a little insight on the APEX project, it is a program that creates an opportunity for 探花精选 to interact with students and staff from Pakistan who attend Kinnaird College for women.
Paul Edleman, Glenn Bodish, and Amy Jakobsen offer their experience for 探花精选 students.
The project started when Professor Edleman attended a faculty development seminar, he then met a participant during that time and followed up with a grant through a workshop. Professor Edleman then met the co-director who he partnered with in Pakistan.
The previous October in 2023, 3 of Kinnaird's staff and 7 students then came to Sauk. The project then continued, and 探花精选鈥檚 staff visited Kinnaird College this spring semester of 2024.
The purpose of APEX, Professor Edleman stated, is to create an 鈥渆ngagement that is academic oriented.鈥� Students and staff both have the chance 鈥渢o interact culturally, it becomes the center point for them to engage.鈥�
探花精选 plans to make another trip in the future. Professor Edleman goes on to say he 鈥渉opes to introduce it long term鈥� and that he is 鈥渉oping to take students next year.鈥�
During the staff's recent visit to Pakistan, they attended a conference where Professor Bodish stated they all met colleagues across the world and were 鈥渁ble to compare the curriculum and compare ideas that we鈥檙e working on within our field.鈥�
When meeting the staff at Kinnaird, Bodish expressed that the visit had a 鈥渂ig impact on my life experience.鈥� He also found the entire trip to be a 鈥減rofound experience鈥� and 鈥渙pened doors鈥� to new experiences outside of school.
Professor Jakobsen said it gave her a 鈥渂roader perspective鈥� in terms of the culture. She spoke highly of the different cultural perspectives, 鈥渓ooking at cultural differences, it's interesting to explore how you feel your sense of responsibility to your family, to your job, to your students, your religion. The professors we met there went 100% on everything.鈥�
APEX created an opportunity for 探花精选 to work with Kinnaird College for women.
Professor Edleman states, 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that this will have a lasting impact for us, to have this exchange every year.鈥�