January 24, 2006 - Second Sanda Cohort Arrives at Rider
Rider University entered the next chapter of its partnership with Shanghai Sanda Institute January 18 as 29 new Sanda students and one faculty member arrived on Rider’s Lawrenceville campus amidst a hearty welcome from faculty, staff and students.
After traveling nearly halfway around the globe from Shanghai, the second cohort of Sanda students met their Rider mentors in front of the Student Recreation Center (SRC). As greetings were warmly dispensed, the students dined on Chinese cuisine buffet style in the SRC Atrium where they were introduced to Rider community members. Several Sanda students, who arrived last January, were also on hand to meet and greet their fellow students.
YiFeng Sun felt the excitement. “Time has gone by so quickly,” said Sun, who is part of the first Sanda cohort. “I was happy to help out. There were even more people this time to welcome our new arrivals. The first place they stepped into was the new Sports and Recreation Center and I know they will love it. I think this was a good way to start their new life here at Rider. I know they will all do well.”
Prisca Figaro, a business economics and global business major, wanted to welcome others since she missed her own orientation when she arrived in New Jersey for the first time almost four years ago. “Knowing that people are happy to see you and want to reach out is very comforting,” said Figaro, who hails from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.
The arrival of this second cohort marks the maturation of the Sanda/Rider relationship, which began almost a decade ago with Provost Phyllis Frakt’s visit to what was then more a dream than an actual institution of higher learning, maintains Jim Castagnera, associate provost/associate counsel. “Mirroring the rise of the ‘New China,’ Sanda has grown from a few students in a couple of buildings into a two-campus operation,” he said.
“The success of this second student cohort in obtaining J-1 visas and the commitment of these students, as well as most of the first cohort, to two-years of study here toward BS/MBA degrees indicates that Rider will be a continuing, significant part of the Sanda success story.”
Over the next two days, the new arrivals learned about various campus and academic resources and life in the residence halls. They also attended a panel discussion featuring current Sanda students and a reception at President Mordechai Rozanski’s house. Free time was also scheduled for shopping in an area mall and watching a movie in the Bart Luedeke Center with other students who are new to Rider.
While at Rider, the new students will reside in Switlik, Olsen, Hill and Kroner residence halls.
This spring semester, they will take business courses to fulfill requirements to earn dual Rider-Sanda bachelor’s and Master degrees. The first cohort is starting an additional year of fulfilling requirements toward their MBA or Master of Accountancy degrees, which they will receive upon their return to China in January 2007 and completion of a capstone course.
“While on the bus, some of the students talked about the classes they looked forward to taking at Rider,” said Dr. Minmin Wang, professor of communication and a facilitator of the Rider-Sanda partnership. “Rider is becoming well known in China. And the program has proven to be mutually beneficial for both Rider and Sanda.”
New arrival Simon (Shang-Qin)Chen was weary from his trip but he summed things up: “The most important thing is to get my degree,” he said.
