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President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. confers with Rev. Bancha Saenghiran, president of Assumption University in Bangkok. USF will offer a master’s degree in finance economics at Assumption.
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USF Signs Agreement in Thailand,
Renews Partnership in Shanghai
In an effort to forge new ties and renew old ones with universities in Asia, University of San Francisco President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. and a small group of deans, faculty, and staff made a six-day trip there last month.
Stops included Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, and Shanghai to meet alumni and administrators at universities interested in partnering with USF. In Bangkok, Fr. Privett signed an agreement with Assumption University to offer a cooperative master’s degree in finance economics. USF faculty in business and economics will help teach the rigorous, math-centered curriculum for banking professionals interested in passing the Chartered Financial Analyst exam. The program is set to begin next summer.
“(A test certificate) is becoming a highly desirable qualification in the banking industry,” said Stanley Nel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We’re eventually looking to start a program in Singapore, Shanghai, and other financial capitals.”
In Shanghai, USF pledged to continue a decade-long exchange program of law faculty with East China University of Politics and Law. Approximately 12 USF faculty have participated in the program since its inception in 1990, teaching labor, criminal, and securities law classes. East China faculty have also come to USF to teach Chinese law.
“The relationship with East China provides USF students with an opportunity to learn about China's burgeoning legal and economic systems from top Chinese scholars and provides USF faculty with a chance to engage their Chinese counterparts in a dialogue about how to promote the rule of law with justice around the world,” said Jeffrey Brand, dean of the School of Law. “The relationship with East China is another example of the law school's engagement in the world as a critical part of its mission.”
Other USF partnerships in Asia include an agreement brokered last year with Mahidol University in Bangkok to offer a joint master’s degree in environmental science. Education faculty also participated in an exchange program this summer with Xiamen Education College in China. USF undergraduates and business faculty may also go on an exchange program to Beijing as part of a program organized by an association of Jesuit colleges and universities.
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