Keuka College Solidifies Position in Asia

From China to Vietnam to Sri Lanka, Keuka College officials spent part of December meeting with international education partners, crafting their vision for a coming decade of cooperation, and establishing new academic programs for students on both sides of the globe.

“It was an excellent opportunity to meet all of the partners and have them meet each other in the spirit of cooperation,” said Keuka College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Brad Fuster, who traveled with College President Amy Storey and Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Development Mark Petrie to Xiamen, China, to meet with the Chinese Partner Universities’ leadership. “We discussed topics such as academic rigor, assessment, student satisfaction, experiential learning, the upcoming Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaccreditation, and plans for the future.”

Some of those plans are already coming to fruition. The College is putting the finishing touches on a program with a new partner in Vietnam: The University of Economics and Finance (UEF) in Ho Chi Minh City.

UEF will offer Keuka College’s Management program (with plans to add Finance and Human Resources Management in the future). Students who complete their first three years at UEF have the option of finishing their studies and graduating at Keuka College’s home campus.

“The agreement with UEF is not only an exciting new partnership that expands Keuka College’s educational offerings in Vietnam,” said President Storey, “it’s recognition of our growing reputation in the region.”

Higher Profile

Also reflective of the College’s ascendant regional profile: President Storey, Vice President Petrie, and Administrative Chancellor of Keuka International Programs in Asia Dr. Joseph R. Hwang were asked to give the Plenary Presentation at the winter meeting in Sri Lanka of the prestigious Association of Southeast Asia Institutes of Higher Learning (ASAIHL).

Their presentation, which focused on the increasing globalization of higher education, introduced ASAIHL members to the type of institutional thinking – and the business model – that has led to more than 8,800 overseas students graduating with degrees from Keuka College since the inception of the international programs in 2003.

Vice President Petrie says the College is open to additional partnerships, citing the success of the Keuka China and Keuka Vietnam programs and the potential for growth in international studies overall.

That growth will continue this fall when a new dual-degree program begins at Vietnam National University in Hanoi (ISVNU). Students completing the program will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from both ISVNU and Keuka College.

Creating 'Global Citizens'

Vice President Petrie says the focus on international partnerships pays benefits at home as well as abroad.

“One of the charges of the College’s International Education Committee is, how do we ‘internationalize’ the Keuka College campus,” says Vice President Petrie, who chairs the committee. “One way to do that is by creating global citizens, and to do that you have to have global experiences. Our international partnerships offer the opportunity to study abroad – the more partnerships, the more opportunities students have.”

The College now partners with nine Southeast Asian colleges and universities – five in China and four in Vietnam. And as the College footprint grows in the region, so too does its prestige: It has been asked to host the 2022 ASAIHL conference at one of its China partners’ campuses.

“I can’t think of a greater compliment from the educational leaders in Southeast Asia,” says President Storey. “It’s a recognition of our commitment to providing quality education in the region. We’ve been there a long time. And we plan to continue to deliver high-quality U.S. education in Asia for a long time to come.”