Academic programming for Duke Kunshan University is moving forward.
The Fuqua School of Business proposed a Master of Management Studies degree program for Duke Kunshan University to the Academic Council at its meeting Thursday. Fuqua Dean William Boulding presented on and fielded questions from the council about the proposed degree.
The program, which was approved by Fuqua faculty last month, is similar to the MMS program offered in Durham. Students will spend their Summer and Fall semesters in Durham and will travel to China for the Spring semester. Fuqua expects the first class to matriculate summer 2012, arriving at DKU Spring 2013—when the campus is expected to open. The council will vote on the degree program at its Dec. 1 meeting. If approved, the proposal will then be reviewed by the Board of Trustees.
“[It] makes our program here better and stronger by going [to DKU] in the Spring semester and finishing what we’re doing there,” Boulding said.
Boulding encouraged council members to support the program as a way to bridge outdated business education with the globalized market.
“The business schools were built for [a pre-globalized] world that no longer exists,” Boulding said. “They assume that we all live by a paradigm and operate by the same sets of assumptions. The rules of the game vary widely around the world and across industry sectors.”
Boulding said the creation of the DKU program will help students gain a better understanding of China, which is of growing importance to the economy.
Boulding added that other dimensions of the project that Fuqua faculty considered were whether the program would benefit faculty research and whether it would be financially viable. Although some faculty members have researched potential financial prospects of the program, it is impossible to make any promises, he said.
Council Chair Susan Lozier, who is also a professor of physical oceanography, emphasized that this is a program to be offered by Duke—not DKU, which will eventually become an independent institution with its own programs.
“The council’s not yet at the point that we’re voting on DKU degrees,” Lozier said.
As a Duke degree, Boulding said the program has to meet all the standards of a degree being earned on the Durham campus.
“The big thing for our faculty was that we didn’t want to end up hiring faculty for a program that did not sustain itself,” Boulding said. “We want control over the faculty choices to hire people that we would hire even if China did not exist. If [the program] went away for some reason, then we have a faculty member that we are perfectly happy with on the Durham campus.”
The program would potentially have a 50-50 percent breakdown of students from China and from outside of China. Boulding said this arrangement would allow both groups of students to act as hosts and guests.
“In our department, we have a number of Chinese students, and the dynamics can change a great deal when not everyone speaks English,” said Nan Jokerst, J.A. Jones distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering.
Boulding added that Fuqua has ample experience preparing Master of Business Administration and MMS candidates for this type of cross-cultural immersion.
“We’ve gotten pretty good at preparing them to know where they are going to struggle,” Boulding said. “The trend in students coming out of China is that the English has gotten better and better with each successive year.”
Lozier said she has a positive outlook about the proposed degree program.
“I am indeed impressed,” Lozier said. “We’re looking forward to hearing from the provost about the evolving plans on the DKU initiative.”
In other business:
The council approved this year’s Faculty Scholar Award recipients—seniors Vivek Bhattacharya and Daphne Ezer. Seniors Veronica Ciocanel and David Womble received honorable mentions. All four students were unable to attend Thursday’s meeting. Faculty Scholars are seniors nominated and chosen based on impressively high GPAs, evidence of independent work, potential for innovative scholarship and intention to pursue scholarly careers.
Additionally, the council went into closed executive session, during which President Richard Brodhead and Robert Shepard, vice president of alumni affairs and development, gave an update on University development. Lozier declined to comment on the proceedings.
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