Developing Industry Partnerships for Student Engagement in China

The University of Dayton (UD) opened a campus in Suzhou, China in August 2012. One of the objectives of the University of Dayton China Institute (UDCI) is to develop partnerships with industry that will both benefit the companies and provide rich educational experiences for students studying in China. Partnerships between UDCI and companies in China are multifaceted, and varied among the companies. The standard Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) essentially says that both UDCI and the partner company will endeavor to form collaborations for such items as student recruiting, research, innovation center projects, continuing education, professional development, and degree courses. Development of industry collaborations is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, but rather a mutually-beneficial partnership that helps the company and also provides opportunities for students to become learners with an ability to excel in a global workplace. The University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) was founded by the Society of Mary (the Marianists) in 1850. It has evolved from a boarding school for boys into a top-tier national, private university and one of the 10 best Catholic universities in the nation. The University of Dayton has over 7300 fulltime undergraduate students, over 3000 graduate students, and 508 full-time faculty. The University of Dayton School of Engineering has 1827 undergraduate students, 68 full-time faculty, and over 100,000sf of laboratory space. The School has undergraduate programs in Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Engineering Technology (electronic & Computer, Global Manufacturing Systems, Industrial, and Mechanical), and graduate engineering programs in Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering as well as graduate programs in Electro-Optics, Engineering Management, and Management Science. The University of Dayton China Institute The University of Dayton China Institute was established in August, 2012 in Suzhou, China. During the first several months, UDCI worked to design, renovate, and occupy the 6300 m (67,000 ft) 5-story building, with a total seating capacity of over 400. The facility has eighteen seminar and meeting rooms with seating capacities ranging from 8 to 90, twelve laboratories for teaching and research, a conference center for exhibits and receptions, and an innovation center and team rooms for collaborative participant interaction. All of the meeting rooms and classrooms have installed projectors, and the larger rooms also have sound systems. A P ge 26501.2 videoconference room is available for meetings, and many offices are available for use by staff, faculty, and seminar organizers. At the onset, a strategic plan was developed to guide UDCI ’s direction and growth, with a mission encompassing areas of research, facilities and programs for UD students to study in China, developing partnerships with industry, continuing and professional development opportunities for industry, providing R&D expertise to companies through sponsored research, contracts, and student projects, and recruiting, both bringing students to UD, and assisting companies to cultivate talent for employment. The Memorandum of Understanding The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UDCI and its industry partners establishes a foundation from which relationships can grow. This non-binding agreement indicates the roles and responsibility of each entity. The details and activities of each relationship are different, and are continually negotiated to affect the greatest impact and benefit to both parties. The MOU begins with a statement indicating that both parties will, to the best of their efforts, affect the visits and collaborations from one to the other by teachers, engineers, scientists, students, and administrators for the purpose of student recruiting, research, innovation center projects, continuing education, and professional development. This statement is the overarching goal for establishing a partnership. The nature of the relationship is different between UDCI and each of its industry partners. Additional responsibilities outlined for UDCI include providing faculty and practicing professionals to teach classes for continuing education, credit programs, and professional development. UDCI will also make research facilities available for industry partners, as well as allow industry partners to use the facilities including classroom, seminar rooms, videoconference room, and laboratory facilities. In return, as an industry partner, companies will be required to designate two professionals (as delegate and an alternate) to serve on the UDCI advisory board, and the company allows the use of its logo in both the UDCI building lobby, and in literature that identifies industry partners. Initially, partner companies came from the strong industrial ties already in existence with the University of Dayton. Companies in the UD database, especially those in the Suzhou and Shanghai areas, were initially approached to establish relationships. Six companies signed partnership agreements at the opening ceremony, and in the years that followed, many more were added, bringing the current partnership total to nearly twenty. At the beginning, partnerships were established with US companies who also had facilities or divisions in China. However, as the partnerships have continued to grow, companies who were not currently affiliated with UD were also courted. In the Chinese culture, it is important to develop a strong relationship prior to entering into an agreement. The Chinese refer to “Guanxi,” or the “connection” that is developed between P ge 26501.3 parties. Taking the time to build a relationship between the parties may be time consuming, but necessary in developing a lasting relationship. Multiple visits between UDCI and the prospective partner company are necessary to instill confidence of a long-term relationship. Breadth of Partnership Activities The breadth of partnership activities is as varied as the companies themselves. Table 1 shows the diversity of activities among UDCI partner companies. Table 1. Breadth of UDCI Partnership Activities Company F ac ili tie s f or m ee tin gs o r tra in in g, in cl ud in g vi de oc on fe re nc e C on tin ui ng e du ca tio n an d pr of es si on al de ve lo pm en t c ou rs es A ss is ta nc e w ith re cr ui tin g fu lltim e ta le nt St ud en t i nt er ns fo r pr oj ec ts Fa ci lit y to ur s a nd pr es en ta tio ns fo r st ud en ts La bo ra to rie s, fa cu lty , an d st ud en ts fo r r es ea rc h an d de ve lo pm en t St ud en t p ro je ct s t hr ou gh th e U D C I I nn ov at io n C en te r En er gy a ud its fo r m an uf ac tu rin g fa ci lit ie s In du st ria l A dv is or y