BOONE—May was an auspicious month for Appalachian State University students and faculty participating in an educational partnership with Fudan University in Shanghai, China. May marked the 10^th anniversary of the Walker College of Business’s William R. Holland Fellows Program for Business Study in Asia.

The occasion was marked by a formal banquet and ceremony May 23 in Shanghai attended by current and past participants in the 10-year-old program.

“Earlier in the afternoon, Fudan officials unveiled a granite marker commemorating the 10^th anniversary of the program,” said Walker College of Business Dean Randy Edwards. “That was really a surprise.”

The marker, which includes the phrase “Friends Forever,” has been installed in front of a classroom building on the Fudan campus.

The exchange program was initiated by Chancellor Kenneth E Peacock while he was dean of the Walker College of Business. Peacock also attended the anniversary celebration.

“There are 40 to 50 U.S. schools trying to establish relationships with Fudan University,” said Edwards. “We were there early. With the growing number of U.S. companies doing business in China, Dr. Peacock had visionary leadership to establish a partnership with Fudan in a country that is becoming an economic superpower.”

Also attending the event were Dean Randy Edwards, Professor Unal Boya, Professor Lyle Schoenfeldt, Professor Betty Coffey

and Dawn Sheppard, all from the Walker College of Business, and Richard Sparks, president and CEO of Watauga Medical Center Boone.

Each year 12 business students from Appalachian are selected to travel to Fudan. They spend a semester preparing for the Asian experience: studying international business practices; learning the cultural differences between Americans and the Chinese; exploring Chinese history, environmental and business issues; following current events; and practicing Mandarin Chinese.

While in China, they work on business case studies with business students at Fudan, and present their solutions to management, financial and marketing problems experienced by Chinese business leaders to a panel of U.S. and Chinese faculty and business executives. The Appalachian students also learn about Chinese business practices from Fudan professors, and tour joint venture, private and state-run companies.

In 1999, the program expanded to bring 12 business students from Fudan to Appalachian, to learn about U.S. customs and business practices, visit a North Carolina banking institution, the New York Stock Exchange and several international investment firms.

This summer, six of the Appalachian students remained in China for internships. Accounting major Russell Warriner is interning as a writer with China Daily News in Beijing. Marketing major Ryan Barry and finance and banking major Jason Dalrymple are interning with Liaoning New Century, an office furniture and entrepreneurial ventures company in Shenyang. Economics major Johnny Groff and finance and banking major David Reynolds are interning with Modern Terminals container business in Taicang. Marketing major Megan Ray is interning with Owens Corning in Shanghai.

“We have such a strong relationship with Fudan, and it has really paid off with our students being placed in internships in China,” Edwards said. “We have been able to develop relationships with many companies, including Modern Terminals and China Daily News through past trips to China. Also, reporters from China Daily News have visited Appalachian’s campus in the past. This fall semester two members of the newspaper staff will attend business and communication classes at Appalachian.”

Edwards said the Holland Fellows Program might be a model for developing similar exchanges with other universities.

“We are looking at opportunities for similar programs in other countries, such as India,” he said. The college is also exploring internships in Spain. “Our international business major requires either an internship abroad or a semester study-abroad experience.”

About 160 students, freshmen through seniors, major in international business at Appalachian, Edwards said.

Photo Caption: Business students from Appalachian State University and Fudan University celebrate the 10^th anniversary of a summer exchange program between the two schools. To mark the occasion, officials from Fudan placed a granite marker on their campus in Shanghai, China. (Photo courtesy of the Walker College of Business)

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