José de la Torre, dean of the Chapman Graduate School of Business at Florida International University, recently returned from a six-day trip to China where he met with officials from several business schools to discuss possible joint programs. Preliminary proposals with the Graduate School of Business at Nankai University, located in Tianjin, and the International Business College of Qingdao University, in Qingdao, have been drafted.

“A number of programs could develop, although we have not yet agreed upon them, and once we do, the details will need to be worked out,” de la Torre said.

The principals are looking at collaboration in the areas of dual degrees, joint MBA programs, executive education programs, summer study-abroad courses, language courses for Chapman students in China, study-abroad courses at the Chapman School for students from Nankai or Qingdao, and other related joint activities.

Among the ideas under consideration:

• A four-day session in Miami followed by a brief tour of two Latin American countries (organized in partnership with the School’s partner universities in Latin America) for Chinese executives interested in learning about Latin America

• A three-month study period at a Chinese university for students in the Chapman School’s International MBA (IMBA) program

• An opportunity for IMBA students to study Chinese and learn about a company at which they would then intern for one month

• An opportunity for a number of students from the Chinese universities to come to the College for the Chapman School’s MBA or Master of International Business (MIB) programs

De la Torre also met with officials from a number of agencies, commissions, and companies and with representatives from the National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, located in Beijing.

“We have put in a proposal with the Chinese government to be the recipient of one of their Confucius Institutes, which would dramatically increase our resources for teaching Chinese language and culture,” he said. “Also, we already have submitted a proposal for a full-time professor of Chinese. We will share half the funding with the College of Arts and Sciences and will be asking for external support to fund the other half. The presence of this full-time professor will be an important part of our effort to move a Chinese program to the University.”

In August, 2005, the School launched a China track in its International MBA program. The option gives students the chance to study Mandarin while they take their IMBA coursework and to have a three-month study-abroad opportunity in China. For more information about the IMBA China track, contact Paola Moreno, program manager, at 305-348-6880 or e-mail morenop@fiu.edu.