Jan. 4 - Rider to Welcome First Cohort of Sanda Students
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Through its educational partnership with Sanda University in Shanghai, Rider University will welcome its first cohort of 23 undergraduate students and three faculty advisors from Sanda later this month before the start of the 2005 spring semester.
"This program provides a wonderful opportunity for both intellectual engagement and an exchange of cultural perspectives for our student body, campus community and the Sanda students who will join our community in January," said Rider President Mordechai Rozanski. "In addition, I want to express my appreciation to all those who are working so hard to make this important partnership a success."
Under the partnership, Chinese students studying business will come to Rider for their junior year, return to Sanda to complete their undergraduate degree in global business and earn a dual Rider-Sanda degree.
Through the 2005 spring semester, summer sessions and 2005 fall semester, they will take such courses as finance, social and legal environment of business, international marketing, international management and research composition writing. They are scheduled to return to China in mid-December 2005.
Currently, sophomore and freshman cohorts at Sanda are preparing to follow the lead of the first cohort in future years.
“This program has two main objectives,” said Tom Kelly, coordinator of the partnership and primary liaison with Sanda officials. “One is to provide a global business perspective for the Sanda students. They are here to become more global in their approach to business and will be taught by expert business faculty in an AACSB International-accredited business school. A variety of seminars and site visits with local businesses will further enhance their experience. Secondly, their presence will help provide a global perspective for our students and the campus community.”
Founded in 1992, Sanda is the first full-time private institution of higher education in Shanghai and enrolls more than 6,000 students. The university prides itself in the quality of its education and teaching, as well as in its teaching of the English language, computer skills and world understanding. Its students consistently score high in national English and computer skill testing, and surveys show that employers find Sanda students conscientious, responsible and quick to adapt to their jobs. Many employers see Sanda students becoming leaders in their companies.
Rider first entertained the thought of establishing an educational link with China when Drs. Phyllis Frakt, vice president for academic affairs and provost, and Dr. Minmin Wang, professor of communication, discussed the possibility for such partnerships in 1998. Later that year Dr. Frakt explored the opportunity when she visited Sanda University.
Subsequently, Kelly and Dr. Feng-Ying Liu, professor of finance, traveled to Shanghai in 1999 to develop the framework of the partnership. Sanda officials also visited Rider several times since 1998. Dr. Frakt announced the formation of the partnership in May 2002.
Last summer, Drs. Linguo Gong, associate professor of management sciences, and Cynthia Newman, assistant professor of marketing, taught business courses at Sanda. This past September Drs. James Castagnera, associate provost, and Gong traveled to Shanghai to help the students hopeful of attending Rider with the visa application process.
With the Sanda students and faculty advisors scheduled to arrive in three weeks, much work is underway to welcome them to campus, provide a special two-three day orientation and help them get acclimated to a new culture. Each student has been assigned a Rider global business or business major as a student mentor and has a business faculty member as a dedicated advisor to ensure a smooth transition and a successful year.
