Go East, Dickinsonians!

Summer program glimpse into the economics, culture of China

September 12, 2006

During the China Rising: Regional Dynamics in an Emerging Superpower summer program, two Dickinson faculty members and 22 students visited numerous Chinese governmental, business and private-sector sites, including this tour of the WuXi New District.

No crystal ball will be needed by students who spent this past summer in China and Hong Kong.

"The center of gravity economically and politically is shifting hard to the East," explains James Hoefler, professor of political science and coordinator of the policy studies program. "Programs like China Rising: Regional Dynamics in an Emerging Superpower give our students the leading edge in knowing what the next 50 years will look like."

This is the second program that Hoefler and Michael Fratantuono, associate professor of international business & management, have taken to Asia. Since that first trip in 2004, the two have worked to build contacts in China and Hong Kong, which led to China Rising being "even more powerful in content than the first one," says Fratantuono.

Whirlwind tour

From July 5 to Aug. 5, the two men and 22 students visited four universities, five factories, think tanks, financial institutions, cultural organizations, government agencies, consultants, the Port of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Airport Authority.

Nadia Dodenova '08 says that for her the two most influential events were a meeting in Shanghai where the group discussed financial reform in China with Robert Major of LehmanBrown, an international accounting firm, and a lecture on sustainable development by Ng Mee-Kam, planning specialist in the Greater Pearl River Delta.

Another student on the program, Theresa Souza '08, says, "We were going nonstop. I wouldn't change that at all. It seemed like we saw everything that China had to offer, especially on the economic side."

Fratanuono adds, "We tried to give the students as much exposure to as many different voices as possible."

Alumni reciprocity

Fratantuono and Hoefler said that the help of Victor Koong '93, T.J. Wong '84 and Dickinson trustee Woody Goldberg '63 was invaluable.

"It was really wonderful to see alumni on the trip. It showed that a Dickinson education applies anywhere," says Souza, an international business & management major.

In addition to their help with planning China Rising, Koong and Wong met with the students and gave them insight into their particular areas of expertise. Koong is a legal counsel for the Hong Kong stock exchange, and Wong is a professor of accountancy and the associate dean of research on the faculty of the business administration department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

International students study abroad, too

Of the students on the program, 12 were international students with the majority hailing from the West. There also was one student from mainland China, a great help when it came to translation, and another from India.

While traveling, the diversity of the Dickinson group "raised eyebrows, but in a good way," says Fratantuono.

Having these different perspectives on Chinese culture and the larger issue of emerging economies was a unique piece of the program, according to the organizers.

"We as a whole benefited from being part of such a diverse group," says Souza. "Still we all struggled with looking at things from an East Asian mindset."

Return of the Dickinsonian

Fratantuono and Hoefler said that most students told them that they planned to return to the region.

Dodenova, of Bulgaria, says that she may shift the focus of her studies from Western Europe to East Asia. "Only time will tell, but I might look more closely at other opportunities to go back to China-doing research or working there."

Souza says that she is definitely "going back" and plans to travel to Tawain for additional studies next summer.

Regardless of specific plans, Hoefler says that he wanted students to take away from the program an understanding of China that was more personal, seeing that "the people [of China] are making their way in the world the best that they can."

Fratantuono paraphrased a comment from a student journal to explain how he sees the effect of the trip: "I came here with so many questions, then I had answers, and now I'm beginning to ask questions about my answers."