UM-Dearborn's China connections aim to grow academic offerings, attract top international talent

Dearborn is a far cry from China.

In fact, about 11,700 miles separate southeast Michigan and the most populous country in the world. But University of Michigan-Dearborn faculty and staff hope to bridge that gap and increase partnerships between the University and China.

“We want to attract good students from China by working with reputable universities in China because the quality is there,” said Yubao Chen, director of the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s China Programs. “This is a big plus for UM-Dearborn to position itself in China to attract good students to our campus. Constant contact is very important to maintain the relationship and also recruit the students.”

Chancellor Daniel Little is one of the University’s most frequent ambassadors to China. Little recently returned from China, where he spoke at the 2011 Beijing Forum, an event that promotes academic development and social progress worldwide.

Little’s speech, “Justice matters in global economic development,” focused on the role of ethical principles in the conduct of economic development planning and strategy.

“The greatest challenge we face is not that justice is hard to discover,” Little said. “Rather, it is that powerful interests in the world have purposes that are flatly contrary to the requirements of justice.”

But aside from Little’s speech, his presence overseas goes a long way in forging a bond between China and the University. Little often meets with presidents from China’s top universities during his trips there to collaborate on student and faculty exchange programs.

And he’s certainly not alone. College of Business Dean Kim Schatzel also plans to visit China next month. Schatzel is a keynote speaker at a Dec. 2 American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong event. Her presentation, “What’s Next in Digital Marketing for China – And It’s Not Google, Facebook nor iPhone,” will focus on social media and its commercial implications.

Schatzel said she’s excited to speak at the event and network with Chinese business leaders. The relationships established through networking in China will benefit UM-Dearborn, Schatzel said.

“We had Internet-mediated conversations, but meeting face-to-face with business leaders is so much more beneficial,” she said. “This event with the chamber is a terrific opportunity for the College of Business to connect with leading firms in Hong Kong.  The College already has a successful master of science in finance program in Hong Kong, and this event will extend our already high-quality reputation and business network in Hong Kong and Mainland China.”

And the academic connections between the University and China continue to grow, said Dongming Zhao, UM-Dearborn electrical and computer engineering professor.

Zhao said University officials continue to reach out to some of China’s top universities in hopes that UM-Dearborn can attract talented students from overseas and further diversify its campus community.

“Chancellor Little and (College of Engineering and Computer Science) Dean (Subrata) Sengupta have been very helpful at reinforcing collaboration,” Zhao said. “The chancellor has created a positive response from all the universities he’s visited. It is very important for the leadership to know each other.”

But student recruitment shouldn’t always fall on the shoulders of UM-Dearborn officials. Zhao contends UM-Dearborn students who study abroad in China often have a better chance of attracting students to southeast Michigan. The same goes for Chinese students who study abroad at UM-Dearborn, then return home to speak of their experience overseas, Zhao said.

“The students help us spread the word,” he said. “The word of mouth is much better than the advertising we’re doing.”

And although Chen’s excited about UM-Dearborn’s recent activity in China, he contends activity must continue to further strengthen partnerships overseas.

“So far, we are happy that UM-Dearborn has established good cooperative relationships with top universities in China, including Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Xi’an Jiaotong University,” Chen said. “There are more than 80 students from these universities on our campus. This must be ongoing to maintain good relationships and sustain the exchange program. We have to continue our efforts because competition in attracting good international students is getting higher and higher.”