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Four local colleges cultivate Chinese partnerships

Dayton, Wright State, Sinclair and Ohio State build relationships with universities in China.

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By Dave Larsen, Staff Writer Updated 8:02 PM Saturday, November 21, 2009

DAYTON — Dayton-area college officials are reaching out to China as they prepare students to live and work in a global society.

Daniel J. Curran, University of Dayton president, returned this month from a two-week trip to China, where he and a group of alumni visited some of the seven universities with which UD has relationships.

Since 2003, UD has pursued partnerships with top universities in China, creating exchange and research opportunities for both UD and Chinese students and faculty in the areas of engineering, engineering technology, law, computer science and business.

“There’s a clear acknowledgment that we are in a global community,” Curran said. “Our graduates are going to be faced with global issues, and the better prepared they are and being as comfortable as one can be is going to be important for people in the future.”

Curran, who held a concurrent professorship at Nanjing University in China, has made more than 30 trips to the country since the 1980s.

Stephen P. Foster, Wright State University’s associate vice president for international affairs, last month visited China’s Dalian Jiaotong University - Information Engineering Institute. Wright State and Dalian have a joint master’s degree completion program in engineering.

Wright State has five students studying this year at Dalian and 17 Dalian students here. “We anticipate within four to five years we’ll have 100 of Dalian’s students,” Foster said.

The international exchange runs both ways for officials, as well as students and faculty.

Last month a delegation of Chinese higher education officials visited both UD and Sinclair Community College to discuss counselor education, career counseling and work force development.

Retraining workers to upgrade skills is “a concept that’s still relatively new to them,” said Bob Keener, Sinclair’s international education coordinator.

International exchanges

Ohio ranks ninth among states hosting international students, according to the Open Doors report released Monday, Nov. 16, by the Institute of International Education.

Ohio State University’s main campus in Columbus ranks 14th in the nation among institutions with 4,583 international students for the 2008-09 academic year, the report said.

“We’re interested in having international students be part of this campus for the exchange of ideas and cultures, and to increase diversity on campus,” said Maureen Miller, spokeswoman for Ohio State’s international affairs office.

Ohio State has 1,411 Chinese students this fall, representing more than 33 percent of the school’s international student population. “They are the largest international student group that we have,” Miller said.

UD has 172 Chinese students enrolled this fall, representing nearly 30 percent of the school’s international students, according to Tina Manco, the university’s partnership and exchange coordinator.

Wright State has 117 Chinese students this fall, representing more than 18 percent of the school’s international students, according to Stephanie Ely, university spokeswoman.

Chinese students pay standard university tuition rates, according to officials. Many of them are self-supporting and don’t require financial aid. “Families in China are investing in their child’s education by paying for it directly,” Manco said.

Beyond studying abroad themselves, U.S. students can benefit from interacting with Chinese students on area campuses.

“There’s a tremendous diversity benefit, a cultural expansive benefit, for our students from what these students bring,” Foster said.

Business opportunities

Partnerships with China can make area colleges and universities “a window to the world for Dayton,” said David R. Hopkins, Wright State president.

Wright State in 2008 received a $168,000 Title VI grant from the Department of Education to support Chinese studies at the university.

This fall, Wright State launched a new Chinese studies minor that includes courses in religion, history, political science and management. More than 40 students are currently enrolled to study Chinese language.

“It’s part of our vision to really be a global university,” said Hopkins, who visited China in 2007 for the opening of the Wright State MBA program at the Beijing Capital University of Economics and Business.

More than 300 Chinese executives have received their MBA through a yearlong program on Wright State’s campus in Fairborn. In addition, 70 executives have earned their MBA through Wright State’s programs in Beijing and Shanghai, China.

“What we’re trying to do is open up opportunities for this region’s businesses and industry,” Hopkins said. Connecting Chinese graduates to area businesses “will help the economy of Dayton because it is an emerging market,” he said.

Graduates who return to China are ambassadors for both the university and the Miami Valley, Foster said.

UD has implemented a program to bring Chinese graduates and professionals to Dayton for a two-year master’s degree program. The students will work with area corporate partners during school breaks.

Chinese graduates who are strong in science and technology could potentially stay and work in Ohio to help grow the state’s economy, according to Curran. “I do see tremendous economic advantages for the region,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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