// COLLEGE NEWS
CREATING STRONG TIES
UNI BIZ 2020-2021
University of Northern Iowa and China’s Shanghai University of Engineering Science (SUES) are partnering to create a 2+2-degree program, allowing students to gain two years of educational experience in both China and the United States. The partnership marks University of Northern Iowa’s College of Business Administration’s second 2+2 agreement with a Chinese university. In 2006, the college partnered with Shanghai DianJi University (SDJU) on a similar program. “Internationalizing our student population through our 2+2 agreements allows our Iowa students to experience a culturally diverse environment in advance of graduation and full-time employment,” said Dean Leslie K. Wilson. “It prepares them to work with colleagues or customers from around the world.” The 2+2 process is simple. Students spend their first two years of education at their home university, then finish the final two years at the partnering institution. This gives students an opportunity to gain international experience at a smaller price. By completing the first two years of their degree at home, participants cut the cost of an overseas education in half. The partnership also benefits the college’s faculty and staff. Every year, at least eight university faculty
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SHARK TANKSTYLE COMPETITION CONNECTS UNI AND PAKISTANI STUDENTS
President Mark Nook (left) and Shanghai Dianji University President Hu Chen extended 2+2 partnership on the UNI campus in October, 2019.
members travel to SDJU, gaining tremendous international experience in a vibrant global hub. Through these international partnerships, several UNI students also travel to China every year through the annual UNI-SDJU Leadership Exchange. Global opportunities are a point of pride for UNI’s business college. One in four business students gain an international experience while studying at the college through study abroad programs, specialized degree agreements or internships. Students can also obtain a master’s degree in business administration through the business college’s international MBA programs in both Shanghai and Hong Kong. BIZ
Back in the summer of 2017, JPEC partnered with UNI’s International Recruitment and Admissions office to create a Panther Cage Challenge — a Shark Tank-style business pitch competition — for international students touring Midwest universities as a part of EdTour. Fast forward to 2020, and the pandemic shifted everything online, including the EdTour. Lindi Roelofse, program manager at JPEC, fittingly developed a virtual Panther Cage Challenge experi-
ence for 28 Pakistani high school students. Students were sorted into teams based on an assigned item, such as an example of the healthiest fresh produce in their homes or an important beauty product, which served as an inspiration for their business ideas. Staff and faculty from the Center of Business Growth and Innovation (CBGI), JPEC and UNI’s business college served as judges to determine which team presented the most
