Massey and Wuhan celebrate 10-year partnership

Monday, July 11, 2016
Massey and Wuhan celebrate 10-year partnership

One of the most successful and long-lived partnerships between a New Zealand and Chinese university celebrated its tenth anniversary last week in Wuhan, China.

The celebrations brought together university dignitaries, alumni and teaching staff from the Massey University-Wuhan University Joint Teaching Programme, which began in 2006.

“This was the first and largest programme of this type that the Massey Business School has been involved in, and it has been a huge success,” says Professor Ted Zorn, dean of the Massey Business School.

“Nearly 400 students have joined the programme so far, with many going on to do postgraduate study, including at PhD level. I think that’s a testament to the quality of the programme.”

Professor Zorn says, for him, the highlight of the reception was hearing all the success stories from the programme’s alumni.

“At one point we had a long queue of graduates at the head table introducing themselves to us. They were obviously very proud to tell us what they were doing in their careers – and it was clear they had all gone on to secure highly sought-after jobs in financial services all over the world.”

Under the joint programme, finance and economics students spend two years at the School of International Education at Wuhan University and then move to the School of Economics and Finance at Massey University for the final two years of their Bachelor of Business Studies degree.

At the tenth anniversary celebrations alumni spoke about the value of the international experience they received through the Massey-Wuhan joint programme. They felt it improved their job prospects, as well as their language and critical thinking skills, Professor Zorn says.

Dr Yi Wei, who was part of the first cohort of 38 Wuhan University students to come to New Zealand, received her doctorate from Massey earlier this year. She says the joint programme has been life-changing for her.

“I shall always remember Massey University as the place I studied for my Bachelor of Business Studies and PhD, a place where my adventure of life truly began,” she says. “Congratulations to the joint programme on its tenth birthday. Ten years of making people think more, know more, be more – that’s something to celebrate.”

A delegation of six Massey Business School staff travelled to Wuhan to mark the ocassion – Professor Zorn; Professor in Finance Hamish Anderson, who has taught into the programme for the past 10 years; Professor Chris Moore, Executive Director International; and Dr Jing Liao; Dr Mingsheng Li; and Jade Zhou.

Over the past decade there have been many reciprocal visits between the two universities and the growing connections forged between students and staff were at the forefront of the celebrations.

“Both the Vice-President of Wuhan University and the programme alumni who spoke at the reception highlighted the importance of the strong connections that have grown between Massey and Wuhan,” Professor Zorn says.

“This partnership has positively shaped the teaching programmes of both our institutions, as well as the careers of so many graduates, and we know it will continue to do so for many years to come.”

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