Who we are

Donna L. Wiseman, Director, was appointed in September, 2012.  She has been the Dean of the College of Education at the UMD since May of 2007 as well, where she is a professor in the Teaching, Learning, Policy and Leadership Department. Prior to becoming Dean, Wiseman was Associate Dean for Academic Programs, responsible for student services and advising, international activities, outreach, teacher education, and accreditation. 

Wiseman’s Ph.D. is from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research interests include literacy development and instruction, school-university partnerships, teacher development, and equitable access to education. She brings to the CIM experience and leadership in advancing international initiatives for the College of Education and the University. Throughout her tenure as Dean, she increased the College’s international focus, establishing the Office of International Initiatives (OII) to support priorities related to global education. Under her leadership, the College of Education won an award from Hanban (CLCI) in China to establish the Center for Chinese Language Teacher Certification and Development (CCLTCD) at the UMD, to prepare and certify teachers to teach Chinese in PK-12 settings. 

Wiseman has spoken on international education in Europe, Asia, and South America.  She participates in the Japan-U.S. Teacher Education Consortium (JUSTEC), an educational organization that pursues academic success and fosters professional networks for growth in both research and teaching practice. She serves on the Board of the International Council for Education on Teaching (ICET), whose mission is to improve educational experiences and outcomes of learners in all parts of the world, and the Board of Directors of Global Teacher Education (GTE), a foundation established to internationalize teacher education curricula.

Jianxin (James) Cui, Deputy Director & Teacher, supported by the Ministry of Education, in China, to teach for the Confucius Institute at Maryland. Cui is a professor of applied linguistic and dialects with Nankai University in Tianjin, northeast of Beijing. He earned an M.A. in Comparative Linguistics at Nankai University, and has more than 20 years of experience in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. Cui was Guest Professor for two years at the Center d'Etudes de l'Asie de l'Est, University of Montreal, Canada, and served before that as Associate Professor for 28 months with College of Oriental and Asian Studies, University of Paris, France.

Rebecca McGinnis, Coordinator, manages the non-credit Chinese language courses, and all China-related public programs for the Confucius Institute at Maryland. Also at UM, McGinnis serves as Associate Director for the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS), and previously was China Programs Coordinator with the Institute for Global Chinese Affairs (IGCA). She received two M.A.s from the Ohio State University, one in Asian Studies and one in Chinese Art History. McGinnis studied Chinese language growing up in Malaysia, and has worked with the Freer and Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian Institution.