U.D. to open institute in China

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - By Teri Rizvi, University of Dayton

The University of Dayton is establishing a presence in China with the Aug. 8 grand opening of the University of Dayton China Institute in one of the fastest-growing innovation parks in the world.

Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) officials invited the University of Dayton to open a stand-alone institute in the ultra-modern park and then made a multi-million-dollar investment in the renovation of a five-story, 68,000-square-foot building for classrooms, laboratories and project space.

SIP wants the University of Dayton to do applied research and product development for industries in the park, which is home to a third of the world’s Fortune 500 companies, as well as provide education and training.

“The University of Dayton is a natural choice because we have a track record in the commercialization of technology and in building research teams in emerging technologies,” said University of Dayton President Daniel J. Curran, who held a professorship at Nanjing University early in his academic career and has cultivated ties in China for more than 25 years.

Engineering students in our Innovation Center have worked with about 120 American industries - many of which are already located in the park - on product development. That’s a model we’re replicating,” he said. “This is not about starting an international campus for the University of Dayton. It’s about providing our students with international opportunities few campuses can offer.”

The University of Dayton is among the first American universities to set up operations in Suzhou Industrial Park about 75 miles from Shanghai.

Located in Jiangsu Province in eastern China, the park is a cooperative venture between the governments of China and Singapore.

While the institute is still taking shape, University officials say they envision more than offering product development expertise to American companies in the park.

The building will include classrooms, a proposed Marianist heritage center and eight specialized science and engineering laboratories.

The China Institute is another step toward the University of Dayton’s globalization.

Last fall, one in every 10 students came from outside the United States, enriching the campus’s global perspective. With approximately 500 undergraduate and graduate students, the University of Dayton now enrolls more students from China than any other country.

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