This fall Bryant University started a new undergraduate program in Zhuhai, China, with the expectation that in four years, 160 Chinese students will graduate in their home country with an undergraduate business degree from Smithfield-based Bryant.
The Zhuhai connection, which is a joint venture with the Beijing Institute of Technology, gives students from both institutions the opportunity to study at the partners' campuses, but the key piece of the Bryant Zhuhai program is that it is being taught in English under the supervision of a Bryant dean by Bryant faculty.
The Zhuhai connection is only the latest result of a dozen years of effort by Bryant President Ronald K. Machtley. He realized years ago that in order for Bryant to remain relevant, especially in its core business focus, it needed to get serious about international education. And if the school was going to go international, China was the biggest target.
A decade ago Bryant established the U.S.-China Institute. A year later, the Confucius Institute. And as soon as all the fundraising is complete, a $15 million replica of one of the buildings in Beijing's Forbidden City will be constructed on the campus. And on Machtley's latest trip overseas, to attend the opening of classes in Zhuhai, he was accompanied by Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, who is looking to establish a sister-city relationship there.
All of this is to say that Bryant under Machtley's leadership is doing what is good for Bryant. But these connections are also good for Rhode Island. •