Stevens ceremony in Beijing graduates 21 master’s degree students

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Tomorrow, Jan. 15, 2005, Stevens Institute of Technology will hold a Commencement ceremony in Beijing, China, for the first 21 graduates from the Stevens Telecommunications Management master’s degree program in partnership with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT).

Commencement remarks will be made by Stevens Vice President Maureen Weatherall, Stevens Professor Kevin Ryan and officials of the Chinese Ministry of Education. Vice President Weatherall will also present an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering to the President of Beijing Institute of Technology, Kuang Jing-Ming. Also to be honored by Weatherall with a formal recognition is the academically highest-achieving student in the program, Hu Leiming.

“Instruction was delivered one-third online by Stevens' faculty, one-third by Chinese instructors in Beijing, and one-third by Stevens faculty in intensive courses in China,” said Dr. Audrey Curtis, the Director of Stevens’ Telecommunications Management Program at The Howe School. “Students in Beijing earned their master’s from Stevens – no different from degrees the school confers in Hoboken.” Curtis spent ten weeks in Beijing, delivering live instruction. Other Stevens faculty also spent time teaching in the course at the BIT campus.

The first 21 students started classes in November 2003. Of the graduating class, three have already applied for Ph.D. programs - with one of them applying to Stevens.

“It’s exciting to participate directly in the growth of telecommunications in China,” said Curtis. “Chinese students are very enthusiastic about getting a US degree, with courses conducted in English, while remaining in their home country.”

“BIT faculty teaching with us are highly qualified,” continued Curtis. “Stevens’ China program is a giant step in extending Stevens’ graduate education to students outside the US.”

The Stevens-BIT program, approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education and other government bodies, is the first such “hybrid” degree from a US university in China. The program is in its final stage of accreditation by the education ministry. Beijing Institute Professors Liu, Fang, Wang and Xie participated in delivering course instruction at BIT.

In addition to Curtis and Ryan, other Stevens faculty who taught in the program include Bill Stahlin, Beth Reidel, Clint Smith and Carl Utz.

Essential to establishing and coordinating the logistics of the program were Stevens Professor of Physics Hong-Liang Cui and the Dean of Stevens School of Professional Studies, Robert Ubell, who also oversees Stevens online unit, WebCampus.Stevens.

“Faculty are thrilled to have participated in this program,” said Curtis. “It is the first such full-time master’s degree program that we have implemented. The BIT faculty were great to work with, and BIT itself is a highly hospitable teaching environment. We anticipate approval by the ministry of our second group of students for the fall of 2005.”

Curtis added that a parallel Stevens program with a concentration in Project Management is set to be approved at the Beijing Central University of Finance and Economics within the year.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.

Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.  

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