Notre Dame to Partner With Chinese University

The University of Notre Dame is partnering with one of China’s most prestigious universities to offer a graduate business program designed for Chinese students planning careers in nonprofit organization. The Notre Dame-Renmin Master of Nonprofit Administration will begin in May 2013. The program, a collaboration between Notre Dame Master of Nonprofit Administration (MNA) and Renmin University of China in Beijing, is the first such international degree program for the Mendoza College of Business. “The partnership truly is a significant event for the University and Mendoza College,” said Roger Huang, Kenneth R. Meyer Professor of Global Investment Management and interim dean. “China’s recognition of the vital role played by nonprofit organizations within its national economy and its society is fairly recent; whereas Notre Dame has a concern for the underserved among us as a foundational part of its mission. We have much to share in knowledge, experience and best practices.” Renmin University (RUC, also known as the People’s University of China) is a comprehensive research university established in 1937 that enrolls approximately 23,000 full-time students, graduate and undergraduate. It primarily emphasizes humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Up to 25 Notre Dame-Renmin students will attend courses at Notre Dame during two summer sessions. Renmin University is responsible for the admissions process. Courses will be taught by the graduate faculty of Mendoza College. In addition to classroom studies, the students will participate in a 10-week internship with an American nonprofit organization, such as Alliance for Children and Families, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, United Way and Volunteers of America. The internships are intended to provide them with an opportunity to gain real-world experience with a nonprofit’s operations and to apply what they’ve learned. “The program is relatively modest in terms of the number of students, but this is one case where numbers aren’t the best measure of impact and success,” said Thomas Harvey, the Luke McGuinness Director of Nonprofit Professional Development, which is the Mendoza College department that directs the MNA program. “As an opportunity for sharing the Notre Dame perspective on nonprofit management, the potential impact of this partnership is vast considering the millions of individuals and thousands of communities with various social welfare needs in today’s China.” The Master of Nonprofit Administration was the first graduate business degree program offered by Notre Dame. Founded in 1954, it also is the oldest such degree program in the United States that is dedicated solely to developing exemplary business leaders for nonprofit organization. Today, the program serves any domestic or international nonprofit organization and is designed to allow students to continue working while completing the degree.

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