Md. business school to open MBA programs in China

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Oct 25, 2004 by Kara Kridler

The University of Maryland's business school is starting two new MBA programs in China, the school said Friday, just as four state companies were announcing deals with Chinese businesses.

The announcement came on the heels of a trade mission to China and Singapore, where Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., state officials and a group of 20 Maryland corporate executives spent nearly a week promoting the state's businesses, particularly venture capital investments and aviation.

The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business plans to start an executive MBA program in Shanghai in January 2005. The business school started a similar program in Beijing in 2003, and graduated its first class of 67 students in June.

We are working closely with the Shanghai government to ensure a qualified and rich program, said Scott Koerwer, associate dean at the business school. The 18-month program will accept 50 students.

We see programs like [this one] as essential for the Smith School to be truly world class, Koerwer said. To be a really great business school, you have to be scaleable and comprehensive.

The launch of the Smith School's Beijing [executive] MBA program was an exciting milestone for Smith as it marked our entry into the China market, said Howard Frank, the school's dean. The success of that program has given the Smith School a great deal of momentum to expand our offerings in China and we intend to make Shanghai a major base of operation for our continued expansion.

The school also plans to start a custom program in Tianjin, China, designed for senior managers of Connecticut-based Otis Elevator's China operation, which is one of the fastest multinational corporations in China, said the state's Department of Business and Economic Development.

The Otis Elevator program will start next month, Koerwer said. Approximately 30 students will be accepted into the program.

In addition to the Smith School's new programs, the companies signing deals in China are: Purdue Farms, a Salisbury-based poultry company; Alliance Medical LLC, a Baltimore endoscope service company; ATEC Holdings, a Baltimore-based import company; and the Baltimore- based Wall Street Institute, which provides English-language training for adults preparing for jobs with American companies.

The deals are said to be worth several million dollars, though the exact amount was not disclosed.

We have made significant progress on this trip but our work is not done, said Gov. Ehrlich in a statement. We will continue building close relationships with China's public and private sectors to create opportunities that benefit both China and Maryland.

The mission was the second international trip for Ehrlich, who traveled to Israel in November 2003.