Lowell Sun
11/06/2011
By
Jennifer MyersLOWELL -- In 2007, about 300 international students were studying at UMass Lowell. Today, the university boasts 542 foreign undergraduate and graduate students, a number Chancellor Marty Meehan is hoping to increase further in the coming years.
The university has forged partnerships with 63 universities in 25 countries, including Egypt and Ireland, and it's not done yet. Meehan recently traveled to China with Provost Ahmed Abdelal and Professor Jie Wang, chairman of the Department of Computer Science and director of China partnerships.
"Our strategic plan calls for the university to become more international and form a rich array of partnerships to help our students become more globally competent. We cannot claim to offer a world-class education otherwise," said Meehan.
There is no more important country in the world than China for such partnerships, he said.
"It is a critical partner in terms of trade, technology and research," he said. "It is an economic juggernaut."
The Lowell contingent negotiated partnerships with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Northwest University and Xi'an Jiaotong University, which will open opportunities for exchanges between the universities of students, faculty, research and academic work. They will also be working together to develop research and educational programs.
The group also met with four other Chinese educational institutions about partnerships, as well as recruiting students to attend UMass Lowell.
Foreign students do not receive financial aid from the university, although private scholarship money is available.
"In a time when the state has cut our funding by 26 percent, attracting students from outside Massachusetts is a way to bring in revenue," Meehan said. "The out-of-state students subsidize the expenses for the in-state students."
Wang added many Chinese students are looking for opportunities to attend college in the United States and "with the economic growth in China, many parents can now afford American tuition and fees. It is very different than when I came here 30 years ago."
The added bonus, Wang said, is the majority of the Chinese students who will come to UML are from families with powerful business and political connections. They will return to China once they graduate and become a positive influence for U.S.-China relations.
UMass Lowell has been working with Cenat, a Chinese Internet provider that opened the Massachusetts International Academy, a boarding school focused on preparing Chinese students for American colleges, in Marlboro two years ago.
There are currently 50 students enrolled at the academy who are honing their English skills prior to entering UMass Lowell's graduate program next year. The program will soon extend to recruit undergraduates and is looking for a building, preferably in Lowell, in which to expand their program.
Meehan is hopeful that within a couple of years there will be 150 Chinese students on the UML campus.
"We think there is an opportunity here for economic development," Meehan said. "Imagine 150 students from China with credit cards and spending power. That holds great potential for the community at large as well as the university.