UMT Holds First Commencement for Chinese Students

Ceremony Marks Milestone in UMT Development; University Eyes Further Expansion

ARLINGTON, VA, OCTOBER 23, 2000 - The University of Management and Technology marked a milestone in its international programs recently when it awarded master's degrees to 74 Chinese students.

At an October 21 ceremony in Arlington, UMT awarded diplomas to 22 of 74 students who completed the university's Master of Science in Management program in Guangdong Province, China. A second ceremony will be held in Guangdong to include all 74 graduates.

"This is a great achievement for UMT," said Dr. J. Davidson Frame, academic dean. "This is the first of many programs we will do in cooperation with Chinese organizations."

UMT conducted the program in cooperation with the Guangdong Expert Bureau and Guangdong Marketing Association.

The students have been enrolled in the program for nearly two years, focusing on the General Management track. Many of the students are entrepreneurs, running their own businesses in Guangdong.

China, which has the world’s second largest economy and has been growing at breakneck speed over the past two decades, desperately needs qualified managers to run its burgeoning enterprises.

UMT and its parent company, the Yankee Clipper Group, have been working for ten years with a number of Chinese universities, businesses, and government institutions to provide modern management education to Chinese managers.

"UMT has a number of agreements in place or pending to expand its distance learning operations in China," said UMT President Yanping Chen. "We also now have the authority to grant F-1 student visas, which will enable international students to study at our Arlington, Virginia campus."

For information on UMT’s China programs, contact Dr. Chen at (703) 516-0035, Ext. 12 or yanping.chen@umtweb.edu.