Skip to main content

Major Achievements

To date, the Bayou Connection Program has made the following significant achievements:

Student Exchanges

  • Graduate Studies: Since Fall 2004, twelve Taiwanese students have earned their MSM or MSCJ degrees from UHD. Two moved on to doctoral programs (one of them presently is an associate professor at CPU while the other is an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire), two are teaching at colleges in Taiwan, while four have received promotions in Taiwanese law enforcement agencies. 
  • English Study: Since Spring 2007, more than 250 CPU students, in 12 groups, studied English at the English Language Institute (ELI). They also visited various criminal justice agencies in Houston.
  • Law Enforcement Study: A group of 40 CPU students led by two policing professors (January 2018) studied at the UHD Criminal Justice Training Center. They were able to visit various criminal justice agencies in Houston.
  • Study Abroad: Since Summer 2005, 40 UHD students, in two groups, have visited Taiwan to learn about the criminal justice system from a comparative perspective. Recently, two groups of UHD students led by Dr. Sample visited Taiwan in 2012 and 2016, respectively. 

 

Faculty Exchanges

  • In 2006-7, Dr. Wang served as exchange faculty at the CPU while two CPU professors taught at UHD in Fall 2006 and Spring 2007, respectively.
  • In May 2008, one CPU professor visited UHD for one semester.

 

Culture Exchanges

  • Mr. Hsien-Ya Wang, an internationally renowned artist, was invited to present a lecture entitled "Sharing the Joy of Chinese Landscape Painting" to UHD students, staff, and faculty in the fall of 2003, and exhibited his artworks at the O'Kane Gallery in Fall 2004. 
  • UHD hosted a group of youth ambassadors from Taiwan who shared traditional Taiwanese life and the cultural difference between Taiwan and the West in Fall 2013.
  • On October 2, 2015, UHD hosted the Taiwan-Texas Higher Education Forum, in which more than 40 scholars from various universities in Taiwan and Texas exchanged ideas of higher education cooperation in the 21st century.

Research Cooperation

  • In November 2003, Dr. Mark Kellar was invited to make a presentation on jail management in the International Conference on Crime and Preventive Strategies, hosted by the CCU, in Chiayi, Taiwan.
  • In March-April 2005, four special agents of the Ministry of Justice, Investigation Bureau (MJIB), co-sponsored by the Department of Criminal Justice, completed a two-week internship at the Houston Police Department.
  • In August 2005, two CPU faculty presented their research papers at the International Security Management Conference at UHD.
  • In November 2005, Dr. Beth McConnel was invited to make a presentation in American corrections in the International Conference on Crime and Preventive Strategies, hosted by the CCU, in Taichung, Taiwan.
  • In November 2005, Dr. Clete Snell was invited to make a presentation in forensic lab management in the International Forensic Science Symposium, hosted by the MJIB, in Taipei, Taiwan.
  • In 2008, Dr. Wang, co-authored with Yung-Lien Lai, published an article entitled "The safety satisfaction survey on the work environment of correctional institution in Taiwan" [text in Chinese], Police Science Bimonthly, 38(4), 17-32.
  • In 2013, Dr. Wang, co-authored with Dr. T.E. Chan, published an article entitled "The Exploration of using TASER in Taiwan police: Takes the United States as an example" [text in Chinese], Ming Chuan Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 5, 33-62.
  • In 2016, Dr. Harris was invited to teach criminology at Zhejiam Police College, Hangzhou, China.
  • In November 2017, Dr. Wang was invited to teach criminology at Shanghai Police College, Shanghai, China.