Monash Memo - 16 May 2001

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Monash College launched in China

The Guangzhou Huamei International School is China's first provider of Monash College programs under an agreement signed late last month.

Monash International Access Division director Mr Clive Vernon said the agreement meant up to 50 students were expected to begin a Monash College program in July.

The program offers Chinese students a guaranteed pathway into a Monash degree in business or information technology after they complete up to two years of preparatory study.

He said the agreement was signed as part of the university's strategy to locate Monash College in significant places around the globe.

"Rather than investing large sums of money in infrastructure in another country, this is a licensing arrangement with an existing education provider," he said.

"It allows us to attract more students into Monash degrees because it saves time and money for the students, who can remain in their own country to complete part of their undergraduate study."

Mr Vernon said Guangzhou's status as one of China's most significant cities on the eastern seaboard made it a desirable location for Monash College.

"We looked for a school that had a good understanding of international education and that had similar goals to Monash," he said. < P>"The Huamei school had a strategy for becoming an international school and already had links into a significant number of educational institutions in the UK and Canada.

"It also had an educational philosophy that matched ours, with a similar focus on the student, an international focus in their curriculum - which is taught in English - and an interactive style of teaching."

He said Monash College planned to develop up to five other partnerships in China in major cities such as Hangzhou, Qingdao, Dalian, Chengdu and possibly Beijing.

Monash College will also soon begin teaching in India and Indonesia, with plans for other locations in southern Africa and Thailand. It is already offering programs in Western Australia and Singapore.

Speaking at the signing of the agreement in Guangzhou, deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and Planning) Professor Alan Lindsay said the partnership with Huamei was part of Monash's strong commitment to international education.

"We are pleased to have many students at Monash from other countries, as they broaden the experience of all our students. We seek to create an environment where students from around the world can live, study and learn from each other," he said.

(From left) Deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and Planning) Professor Alan Lindsay, Australian consul-general in Guangzhou Mr John Courtney, Mr Rogine Fu, from Guangzhou Huamei International School, Monash International Access Division director Mr Clive Vernon, and Mr Chen Jinlong (also from Huamei).