Broward College and Shanghai Second Polytechnic University Sign MOU Establishing Academic Partnership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:
Tina David
954-201-7510
tdavid@broward.edu

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (September 6, 2013) – Broward College President J. David Armstrong, Jr., signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) designed to promote academic collaboration and exchange between Broward College and Shanghai Second Polytechnic University (SSPU) in China. The MOU also calls for collaboration among the faculty and students of both institutions.      

“Broward College is evolving globally, and our joint efforts to create a presence in Shanghai emerge from the core values we share that are grounded in higher education,” said President Armstrong. “Through this academic collaboration, Broward College and Shanghai Second Polytechnic University will be able to connect both faculty and students with great educational opportunities.”         

The agreement with SSPU is a major milestone in Broward College’s mission to provide accessible high-quality education globally. Through the MOU, the Broward College Center in Shanghai will provide an American education experience to Chinese students with the intent to train highly sophisticated workers to meet the world’s leading manufacturing industry needs.                   

"Both of our institutions have been in existence approximately 50 years and have accomplished much in that time, and we have much that we can share with and learn from each other,” said SSPU President Dr. Yu Tao. “Today we start our cooperation by signing a memorandum of understanding and we will begin immediately to look at how we might work together to bring programs together." 

Benefits of the MOU include:

• Mutual exchange and collaboration of faculty members, students in the academic domain;
• Exchange of educational program material;
• Joint research activities;
• Co-organization of academic conferences, seminars and workshops; and
• Collaboration of joint development of educational projects of mutual interest.

“I strongly support this partnership, and I am confident that it will bear great cultural, educational, and economic benefits and interest to both our communities,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott in a letter of support.

With a vision and mission of global competitiveness, Broward College has actively expanded abroad. Currently, the College has nine international centers and affiliates from Singapore, Vietnam and Sri Lanka to Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, with plans to continue to increase its global presence. All international partners operate with the College on a fee-for–service basis, which allows students to study in their home country while enrolled in a 2-year American college program. The international programs offered at Broward College are self-supporting operations and funded by its partners for the services provided to them.

"The partnerships we have in China and with others continue to support our mission and goals for the college to increasingly internationalize our college, exposing our students and community to the continuing globalization of our economy and culture in South Florida," said Broward College Board of Trustees Chairman Sean Guerin.      

In addition to the MOU, Broward College’s latest China initiatives include:

• Chinese Aviation Training Project: Broward College has been awarded contracts by Civil Administration of China (CAAC) since 2011 for Chinese aviation professionals’ training. In the past two years, the College has delivered high quality air traffic control management & leadership programs, ranging from three to five weeks, to 22 groups of nearly 400 Chinese aviation executives and professionals in Ft. Lauderdale. The program is a success financially and is 100 percent self-funded.
• Shanghai Broward College Project: Broward College has been selected by Chinese Shanghai Municipal Education Bureau as the candidate for a workforce development-focused program partnership.  The Shanghai municipal government has been introducing high quality foreign universities and colleges to Shanghai. For the university category, they have chosen NYU, and Broward College now is their choice for partnership in the college category, especially for workforce development programs. The programs they are interested in are (but not limited to) aviation maintenance, logistics management, automobile maintenance management and others.
• National Auto Maintenance Project: Through Broward College’s Chinese partner, which owns the biggest auto maintenance training programs in China with over 50 affiliated Chinese universities and colleges, a 2+1 Auto Maintenance Management degree program will be introduced to the affiliated schools in upcoming years. This model is to meet the need of Chinese schools to internationalize their curriculum in workforce development programs. According to the model, Chinese students will study for two years in China and one year at Broward College. This will generate a steady flow of international students who study at Broward College.

For more information on the MOU, contact Tina David at 954-201-7510 or tdavid@broward.edu.