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College’s Sphere of Influence
Reaches Pacific Rim
Degree Completion Program Expands to China; Chinese Students will Study Here
Keuka College will always be associated
with Keuka Lake, but its sphere of
influence extends over a much larger
body of water.
Thanks to a partnership with Armstrong
University in Oakland, Calif., the
College’s degree completion program is
taking hold in the Pacific Rim.
Associate Professor of Management
Gary Smith spent a portion of the 2002
fall semester teaching a marketing
course at Tianjin University of Science
and Technology in China and Qiqihar
University.
And that is just the beginning.
“Eventually, we expect to offer our
degree completion program in organizational
management at some 12 universities
throughout China and other
Asian countries,” said College President
Joseph G. Burke.
According to Burke, Armstrong
would like to offer Keuka’s degree
completion program at its Oakland
campus, as well as in Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada, where there is a
large population of Chinese students
hoping to earn an
American college
degree.
However,
Keuka’s partnership
with
Armstrong is not
limited to degree
completion programs.
“The contract
we signed calls for
Armstrong to
recruit 36 Chinese
students over the
next three years to study on our campus,”
said Burke.
While conceding that international
students bring additional challenges in
terms of academic and student support
services, Burke is convinced the addition
of Chinese students on Keuka’s campus
will create “amazing” educational advantages
for Keuka matriculants.
“The advantages of internationalizing
your curriculum and increasing the
diversity of your student body are well
known to American colleges,” he said.
There is already one Chinese student—senior
Haibei Yang—matriculating
at Keuka.
Fastest Growing Market
A
Asia is the fastest growing market in
higher education, according to Gary
Bonvillian, vice president for academic
affairs.
“It is estimated there are 10 million
Chinese students who do not have
access to any college or university in
China because there are not enough in
Associate Professor of Management Gary Smith visited the
Great Wall of China during his tenure in the country.
existence,” said Bonvillian.
However, most small colleges,
including Keuka,“don’t have the ability”
to recruit in China, according to Burke.
Enter Armstrong University, which
boasts an alumni population in 54
countries and is one of the few
American institutions certified to operate
in China. Michael Huang, president
of the university, has more than 30 years
experience delivering and executing
programs abroad, particularly in China.
“After China became a member of
the World Trade Organization last year,
the government realized it had to make
changes in its educational system,” said
Burke.“Consequently, it no longer permits
American colleges to operate in
the country unless they have regional
accreditation. Armstrong is accredited
by the U.S. Department of Education as
a proprietary university, but the school
has no regional accreditation.”
Keuka does have regional accreditation—from
the Middle States
Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools—so a potential match was
made: Armstrong would
market Keuka in China
and other Asian countries
and Keuka would
deliver its curriculum to
the students.
“However, before any
deal was struck, we
made it clear that we
would not sacrifice
quality, both in terms of
students and our curriculum,”
explained
Burke.