President Connie Gores and CoriAnn Dahlager, Director of the School of Graduate Studies, visited seven partner universities in Taiwan at the end of March. SMSU has been partnering with Taiwanese universities since 2013 to offer students a chance to earn their MBA degree at SMSU.

Gores said she had several goals she wanted to accomplish during her visit to Taiwan.

“One was to gain a deeper understanding of the connections that we have in Taiwan with these institutions,” Gores said. “I wanted to help deepen relationships and gain additional connections between SMSU and other institutions, and I wanted to have a presence at some of the events in order to raise SMSU’s profile.”

Gores signed two new partnership agreements with Taipei City University of Science and Technology and Lung Hwa University of Science and Technology. These partnerships will focus on faculty and undergraduate exchanges. Gores said an undergraduate dual degree in English has been discussed, but SMSU is still exploring different opportunities.

Since the partnerships began in 2013, over 100 Taiwanese students have completed their MBA at SMSU. The university is expecting their largest class next year, with 57-60 Taiwanese students expected to enroll. Most students come from Shin Chien University and Minghshin University of Technology.

“People in Taiwan are very interested in the United States and they are very interested in creating more connections and experiences for their students,” Gores said.

The MBA exchange program takes one year for a student to complete. Students take four classes at their home university in Taiwan before arriving at SMSU, Dahlager said. While in Marshall, students complete eight courses, three in the fall, three in the spring, and two in the summer. Students can complete optional practical training, which is similar to an internship, during their studies.

MBA student Guan-Ju (Nina) Chen came to SMSU from Aletheia University in Taiwan. Chen said she decided to earn her degree at SMSU to improve her English skills while learning a business program.

“It’s a good opportunity for students who want to study abroad,” Chen said.

As director of the MBA program, Dahlager spends time getting to know the MBA students from Taiwan. Dahlager said she often bakes for students and invites them to her home to experience American culture.

“They call me their American mom because they are leaving their family and they are coming here and I am their go-to person,” Dahlager said.

Taiwanese students also share their culture with the SMSU community each year when they host a Taiwanese Culture Night. During the event, Taiwanese students make traditional food, teach about their country, give language lessons, and share new games. The Taiwanese Culture Night will be sometime this fall.

“I think it’s important for our students to be global citizens and by having students from other countries study here, it helps all of our students grow and develop skills they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Gores said.

SMSU will continue to expand the exchange program in the future, Gores said. SMSU is looking into similar partnerships with universities in Beijing, China.

“We are looking at maybe expanding our reach for the MBA program and also for the reach of our undergraduate exchange programs. I think that’s probably the next phase of our work in this area of Asia,” Gores said.