CHINA – In late June, Thompson Rivers University (TRU) celebrated two convocations with partnering universities in China. An outstanding alumni event further showcased what’s possible when universities work together to support international education and student success.
TRU and Tianjin University of Technology (TUT) celebrated the graduation of 84 students on June 22 from TUT’s School of Management and TRU’s Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics.
Dean of TRU’s Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics Dr. Michael Henry, TRU President Dr. Brett Fairbairn, and Vice-President International Baihua Chadwick with recent SIT-TRU graduates.
Afterwards, TUT hosted a special alumni event, where outstanding alumni were invited to connect with the TRU and TUT community members, ranging from faculty to staff to current students and new graduates. TRU updates, including information on TRU’s master’s programs, were shared.
Two days later, TRU and Shanghai Institute of Technology (SIT) celebrated the graduation of 67 students from SIT’s School of Economics and Management and TRU’s Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics.
During both convocations, TRU President Dr. Brett Fairbairn gave a congratulatory speech to new graduates and acknowledged the long-term cooperation of the two universities. At TUT, Dr. Hafiz Rahman, associate professor of economics in Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics, spoke on behalf of all instructors.
Vice-President International Baihua Chadwick, Dean of Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics Dr. Michael Henry, and TRU World Marketing service representative Emily Lu were also in attendance, with TRU World Marketing service representative Kevin Zhang joining for the latter convocation.
TUT and SIT accreditation is TRU accreditation
TUT and SIT are TRU’s long-term accreditation partners in the Bachelor of Business Administration program. Over the past two decades, over 2800 students have graduated from this program at TUT and over 1000 students have graduated from this program at SIT.
Students who complete the program receive bachelor’s degrees from both institutions.
The programs are taught in both English and Chinese, with the support of TRU and TUT or SIT instructors. TRU sends approximately 8 faculty members annually to teach at the partnering campuses.
Education without boundaries
The featured alumni from the TRU-TUT joint BBA program are living examples of how students thrive in these open, flexible learning environments focused on research, creation and innovation.
“Thanks to the good education provided by the joint program, especially the study of business management, marketing, human resource management and other courses, I have mastered professional knowledge and understood the operation and management mode of enterprises in different characteristics, scales and industries at home and abroad,” says Wu Tao, intake of 2005 alumni. Tao is currently the director and vice president of Tianjin Xiaocheng Group.
TUT alumni event
Chen Hengjie (2003) is another example. Hengjie is now a serial entrepreneur who has built and expanded a food supply chain factory in Bozhou and created two domestic brands, Yuenong Village and Chen Kangkang. Awards include China Green Health Food, Safe Consumption Demonstration Unit, AAA-level Credit Enterprise and product-specific awards for black sesame balls with accumulated sales exceeding 100 million units.
Then there’s Liu Feng (2007) who has dedicated more than a decade to the elderly care medical industry and currently serves many roles including as a business environment supervisor in Tianjin, a member of the Elderly Care and Home Service Industry Committee of the China Federation of Industry and Commerce and Vice-President of the Tianjin Elderly Care Service and Security Society. Among many accomplishments includes 27 patents and establishing multiple successful brands such as Kangliyuan, Xiaocheng Long Term Care and Xiaocheng Technology.
Additional outstanding alumni featured at the event include:
Cheng Yanhao (2008) whose experience included coming to TRU Kamloops as an exchange student. Yanhao is now working as the general manager of the Fourth Business Department and serves as a member of the Rongde Asset Investment Decision-making Committee in Huarong Rondge Asset Management Co. Ltd. To date, Yanhao has participated in more than 40 investment projects with investments totalling over 5.5 billion yuan and 11 enterprises have been listed.
Mu He (2002) went on to intern at Ericsson China Communication Corporation, earn graduate degrees and work at the University of Delaware in Academic Technology Services. He is currently responsible for planning the corporate learning ecosystem and leading the design and development of artificial intelligence products in adult education at Moody’s.
Cao Sumeng (2002) has been deeply involved in the education industry for over ten years, progressing from an international student recruitment officer to the CEO of a Hong Kong-listed company. In early 2022, she co-founded RTS Education Holdings Ltd. with business partners. It focuses on investments in the education sector and is dedicated to making strategic investments in higher education and vocational education institutions. At present, the group owns two colleges, Sydney Polytechnic Institute and Australasia Technology Institute.
TRU President Dr. Brett Fairbairn at TUT graduation
Liu Yongmin, (2003), joined a pharmaceutical company after graduating and is now working with Novartis as the senior principal biostatistician. Zhang Zheng (2002) works at Tianjin FAW Automobile Co. Ltd. and is responsible for vehicle planning in Tianjin New Energy Company and Sichuan Chengdu Branch. Li Tianqin (2003) is currently working as director of the Property and Asset Management Department of JLL China.
Leadership making it possible
Since 2003, the leadership teams from both institutions and the strong support of Karen Tingting Kan and Ellen Ming Zhang from TUT and staff from SIT, alongside TRU’s Chadwick, deans and faculty of Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics, Lisa Lake, co-ordinator of International Programs and Partnerships at the Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics and the TRU World Transnational Education team have been fundamental to nurturing this partnership, ensuring ongoing success in the program’s administration, coordination, teaching and quality assurance.
