Wittenborg Enhances Global Partnerships with Institutions Worldwide

10.07.2024

School Connects with Partners from China, India, Spain and Germany, Among Other Countries

To help develop higher education internationally and share best practices with other institutions, Wittenborg has been investing in partnerships with universities and business schools from other countries.

From 16 to 17 May, the school welcomed a delegation from Shanghai Polytechnic University, composed of vice president Ding Li and dean of the president’s office Qiu Gang. Also present were the principal of the Shanghai Industrial Technology School, Zhang Weigang, the vice dean of the School of Economics and Management, Pan Hailan, and secretary of the International Office Lyu Xing.

The Chinese representatives had previously met with Wittenborg’s president Peter Birdsall and Head of Executive Affairs Myra Qiu in October 2023, in Shanghai, to discuss possible cooperation between the two institutions. To advance the discussions, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed in Apeldoorn concerning a collaboration aimed at enabling current bachelor’s and master’s students at Shanghai Polytechnic University to progress to Wittenborg’s master’s programmes.

More recently, on 10 June, the Apeldoorn campus hosted a meeting between Wittenborg representatives and a delegation from Shanghai Business School, in which the two schools’ 15-year-old partnership was addressed. At the beginning of the year, Wittenborg had welcomed a group of students from the Chinese institution, offering various activities to the visitors.

The collaboration between the two schools had been paused for some years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was resumed last October when Shanghai Business School was visited by Birdsall and Qiu. The delegation that came to Apeldoorn in June was composed of the president of Shanghai Business School, Wu Zhong, director of the president’s office Xu Yingying, director of the Faculty of Professional Finance & Accountancy Li Zhigang and associate professor Wang Zhan.

During the meeting, the representatives from both schools delved into their short-term exchange programme, reviewing and renewing the collaboration. Moreover, they discussed the possibility of developing and implementing joint programmes.

According to Wittenborg Head of Executive Affairs Myra Qiu, these partnerships contribute to building bridges between Dutch and Chinese higher education, promoting a valuable exchange of knowledge and information. She points out that later this year Wittenborg president Peter Birdsall will visit China again, and his schedule includes lectures at both institutions.

“Shanghai Business School is one of Wittenborg’s oldest and strongest partners, and we are happy to see that the discussions with Shanghai Polytechnic have advanced. These are great opportunities for mutual learning, and they also give Chinese students the chance to have an experience abroad.”

Qiu also highlights that Wittenborg has made progress in establishing partnerships with institutions from other regions of the world. These include TASA Global and Presidency University from India, Spain’s Canary Islands Business School and Internationale Studien und Berufsakademie (ISBA Freiburg), from Germany.

“One of Wittenborg’s unique points is the fact that, in addition to being a solid business school, it offers comprehensive MBM (MSc) and MBA specialisations in technical areas, such as Engineering, Cyber Security, Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics. These fields are really sought after by the market, providing our international talents with more opportunities for career development and employability. That makes Wittenborg a very attractive school not only for students, but also for other institutions who are looking for partnerships.”