Graduation in Nanjing

China is the world’s largest economy and has over the past 30 years been one of the fastest growing economies. Maastricht School of Management has partnered with one of China’s premier universities since 1997, when its first joint MBA program was launched in partnership with Nanjing University.

(Main photo: Professor Wim Naudé addressing students, faculty and guest at the annual graduation at Nanjing University Business School)

Hence, it was a reason for celebration when the 13th cohort of management students graduated recently. On Saturday 7th November 2015 a total of 63 students in MSM and Nanjing University Business School’s joint Executive MBA and International MBA programs received their degrees during a festive ceremony in Nanjing, China. More than 400 people attended the event. Special guests from the Province of Jiangsu, the Municipality of Nanjing, and various companies attended.

In his opening speech, Professor Kunrong Shen, the Dean of Nanjing University Business School (NUBS), paid homage to the MSM-NUBS partnership that has seen already over 700 graduates, many of who today hold high positions in business and government.

In his speech, MSM Dean Professor Wim Naudé congratulated the students and their alumni, and stressed the relevance of the graduation event’s theme of “inheritance and innovation”. He pointed to the success of MSM-NUBS’s ‘inheritance’ in terms of its 13 cohorts of students, and explained how the two institutions are looking to the future and innovating in terms of promoting quality standards, evolving curriculum content and mentioned the two institutions’ development of the first Healthcare Management MBA in China as a leading example.

The MSM-NJU partnership has also resulted in the creation of theSino-Dutch International Business Center (SDIBC) of Nanjing University. The two institutions already back in 1999 established this centre. On 8 November 2015 the Steering Committee of the SDIBC, consisting of representatives of MSM and NJU met to discuss and co-ordinate the MBA programs of MSM in Nanjing. In particular, the SDIBC will accelerate efforts to promote three MSM-NJU MBA programs, namely the IMBA and MBAs with specializations in healthcare management and innovation respectively.

MSM and NUBS also agreed to focus further on various initiatives to further improve the quality of their already highly accredited programs. Between MSM and NUBS the following accreditations have been achieved: AMBA, AACSB, IACBE, ACSBP and NVAO.

If you are interested in strengthening your knowledge and skills of doing business in and with China, enrol now in our MBA,Executive MBA or Master in Management programs in Maastricht, or our Executive and International MBA programs offered on-site in Nanjing, China (Chinese language skills required).