Zhejiang University’s Dean Wang, Rensselaer Provost Robert Palazzo, and Lally School Dean David Gautschi

The agreement formally links the Entrepreneurial Research Center of Zhejiang and the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship of the Lally School. For Zhejiang, the agreement augments a partnership with China’s Ministry of Labor to shift Zhejiang’s educational focus from employment to entrepreneurship. In addition to facilitating student and faculty exchanges, key initiatives will include joint faculty research, delivery of a virtual curriculum across the two institutions, and jointly designed and delivered executive programs on innovation and corporate entrepreneurship.

Key initiatives will include joint faculty research, delivery of a virtual curriculum across the two institutions, and jointly designed and delivered executive programs on innovation and corporate entrepreneurship.

Dean Wang, executive dean of Zhejiang’s School of Management, said, “We are very enthusiastic about our collaboration with the Lally School of Rensselaer. Our two institutions have very complementary strengths relating to global entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. We have had very constructive discussions and plan on launching specific collaborative activities this academic year.”

The collaboration will also create internship opportunities for students from each institution at enterprises in China and the U.S. The Lally School sees this agreement as a model for additional international collaborations that involve industry players and academic partners, Gautschi noted.

The entire undergraduate experience at Rensselaer continues its transformation with challenging, engaging, and highly relevant academic and student life programs as outlined in The Undergraduate Plan. A crucial component of this plan is the goal to provide an international educational experience for all undergraduates during their time at Rensselaer. Such opportunities include structured study abroad programs, as well as other international experiences such as internships, exchange programs, or other overseas opportunities.

“Zheda has almost 2,000 international students who follow studies in English and Mandarin, and is well situated to accommodate the rising demand for student exchanges from all academic units within Rensselaer,” Gautschi said.