Cornell College instructors injured during China visit return to family, travel

Four Cornell College instructors are being treated for injuries after a “serious incident” in a park in Jilin, China. (Photo courtesy of Cornell College)

Each of the Cornell College instructors injured in a stabbing during their teaching trip to Jilin City, China are back with family or moving forward from the incident, the college said in a statement Tuesday.

Cornell College President Jonathan Brand said in the update to campus that all four of the instructors have either been reunited with family members or are continuing with their summer travel plans after being injured in a “serious incident” in a public park in the city last week.

People and organizations both in the U.S. and China aided in getting the instructors the care they needed, Brand said. He said he has been reminded through this time about how the “extended Cornell College community” cares for each other.

“We appreciate the support from our colleagues at Beihua University, and we have thanked our state and federal legislators as well as the Department of State for their efforts to assist our instructors and their families,” Brand said in the statement.

The instructors were teaching at Beihua University as part of a partnership with Cornell College. The June 10 incident occurred while the instructors were visiting a park near the university, accompanied by a colleague from Beihua. A man bumped into one of them, according to Jilin City police. The suspect, who police apprehended and identified as a 55-year-old with the surname Ciu, then allegedly stabbed that individual and the three other instructors.

One of the instructors involved in the incident was David Zabner, state Rep. Adam Zabner’s brother. A Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University, David Zabner was in Jilin City as part of the partnership between Beihua University and Cornell College when he was wounded in the arm during the incident. The names of the other instructors have not been released.

According to Adam Zabner’s social media, his brother returned to Iowa late last week. The representative said in a statement that the U.S. State Department and U.S. Consulate in Shenyang were helpful during David Zabner’s treatment and in efforts to bring him home, as well as the offices of Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Chuck Grassley and U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

Cornell College has partnered with Beihua University since 2018 to bring instructors from Mount Vernon to Jilin City to teach at the university for two-week periods.

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