UWM a Strong Presence on Mayor’s Trade Mission to China

Left to right: UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Vice Mayor Yu Jun.

UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago, Provost Rita Cheng and two UWM deans are among those accompanying Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on his trade mission to China beginning Friday.

(See the mayor's web log for trip updates.)

UWM leaders see the trade mission as an opportunity to connect the business relationships that Barrett seeks with possibilities for instruction and collaboration and to reaffirm existing educational ties with China.

“This mission represents a wonderful opportunity for our university to explore ways to build our research capabilities well beyond Wisconsin,” said Chancellor Santiago. “Our UWM team looks forward to working with Mayor Barrett and the others on this journey to raise the visibility of the city and the university.”

One of those ties is UWM’s EMBA program, which began delivering instruction to employees of Motorola in Beijing at the beginning of the year, says V. Kanti Prasad, dean of the School of Business Administration. As China rapidly becomes a more important force in the world economy, Chinese companies are in need of American-style MBA programs, especially for managers who deal with Western clients.

The Motorola agreement will be renewed during the delegation’s stay in the capitol city.

“We believe that continuation and expansion of this collaboration will serve the students and other stakeholders of both UW-Milwaukee and Motorola University,” says Prasad, “and will further strengthen the growing ties between Wisconsin and China.”

UWM’s program is the first overseas business degree offered by a UW System institution. It is administered in partnership with Motorola University, the company’s corporate education arm, and consists of both online and in-person components.

In Shanghai, representatives of UWM, Marquette University and the Center for International Health housed at the Medical College of Wisconsin will meet with officials at Second Shanghai Medical University (SSMU), which is establishing a nursing degree program with the help of an international committee.

UWM and Marquette represent the United States on that committee, says Sally Lundeen, dean of the UWM College of Nursing. The group will meet the president of SSMU, vice president in charge of the new health professions campus, and nursing faculty to the discuss curriculum.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the UWM College of Nursing and the Marquette College of Nursing, to form a significant international partnership with a major university in China,” says Lundeen. “We can change the face of nursing in that country while we also enhance the opportunities for our faculty and students to develop international collaborations for research and education.”

The effort, coordinated by the Center for International Health, aims to provide more nurses in developing countries by instituting nurse training programs.

Besides furthering links with universities, the Milwaukee delegation will be dedicated to simply spreading good will. Meetings are scheduled with the mayors of Beijing, Shanghai and the coastal port of Ningbo. Milwaukee businesses that have offices in China include such companies as Briggs & Stratton, Rockwell Automation and GE Medical.

Others in the governor’s entourage include members of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and representatives of several Milwaukee companies, including the law firm Godfrey & Kahn, which has an office in Shanghai.

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