Students in the inaugural Executive MBA class of a joint program between the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis and Fudan University School of Management in Shanghai, China, arrived in St. Louis on September 6 for two weeks packed with classes and celebrations. The 70 students from China completed their MBA degrees with a capstone two-week residency at the Washington University business school.
Commencement exercises were held on Washington University’s Hilltop Campus on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 4:00 p.m. in the University’s Graham Chapel.
August A. Busch III, chairman of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., and Charles F. Knight, chairman of Emerson, delivered the commencement addresses. Busch told the freshly minted MBAs they were “China’s leaders of tomorrow,” and had a responsibility to help the amazing economic miracle taking place in their country continue. Knight spoke about Emerson’s commitment to expansion in China, where the company now has over 14,000 employees and 20 plants.
A reception followed in the business school’s Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center, where the students from China completed their residency course requirements.
Students enrolled in the 18-month Executive MBA program attend classes in Shanghai, China four consecutive days per month, Friday through Monday, a schedule that facilitates commuting from outside Shanghai. Courses are delivered in English and are jointly instructed by Washington University and Fudan University faculty.
Students in the first class represented 62 companies and organizations, including Accenture, Alcoa, BP, Baxter, DuPont, Emerson, Ericsson, GSK, Honeywell, Huaan Fund Management Co., Ltd., IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology, Ping An Insurance, Roche, Shanghai Stock Exchange, and UT Starco.
In Shanghai, the Olin-Fudan EMBA program takes place on the Fudan University School of Management campus. Founded in 1905, Fudan University is one of the most prestigious universities in China with an international reputation for excellence in academic and scientific research.
Founded in 1917, the John M. Olin School of Business is ranked among the best business schools by U.S. News & World Report, Business Week and The Wall Street Journal.