Rutgers SPAA Hosts Winter Training Program for Taiwan’s Central Police University (CPS)
The 2026 Winter Training Program, hosted by the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University-Newark, was a three-week professional exchange program designed for students from Taiwan’s Central Police University (CPS). The program also received support from several other academic units across the Newark campus, including the RU-N Chancellor’s Office, the Office of the Provost, and the School of Criminal Justice, among others.
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The training program offered a comprehensive and academically rigorous curriculum consisting of approximately 10 classroom-based seminars and 10 field site visits held throughout January. Academic coursework engaged participants in an in-depth examination of important topics, including the basics of the United States government, the criminal justice system in the U.S., data science and public administration, emergency management, community correction, policing, ethical challenges in public administration, fostering comparative dialogue between international communities and American administrative systems.
Through carefully curated site visits, participants directly observed how U.S. local governments coordinate with law enforcement agencies, utilize data for policy and operational decision-making, and cultivate community-oriented governing practices. These field experiences complemented the academic sessions by linking theoretical understanding with real-world application.
As the primary coordinator of the program, Dr. Pengju Zhang, associate professor and director of international programs at Rutgers SPAA, emphasized that its experiential learning model provided participants with an interdisciplinary, practical, and holistic understanding of urban governance. "Its strong emphasis on 'glocal' partnership and professional exchange reinforced the program’s mission, strengthening academic and cultural collaborations among Rutgers faculty and doctoral students, local communities, NY/NJ government institutions, and global partners," he said.