The SJTU Graduate School at NTU's Nanyang Business School will conduct SJTU's MBA program, which will be taught by both NTU and SJTU professors and in both Chinese and English. It received its first batch of 30 MBA students on October 30, 2002.

The SJTU is the first Asian institution and the ninth international world-class university to set up a school in Singapore and the first of its kind ever approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

In his speech at the inauguration ceremony, Singapore Senior Minister of State for Education and Trade & Industry Thanman Shanmugaratnam said that the SJTU is a university of exceptional renown and standing, and the partnership between the SJTU and the NTU to offer education to top quality students and key industry leaders from China, Singapore and the region deepens the relationship between the two countries and consequently forge stronger business, industry and research collaborations.

Noting that "the growth and transformation of the Chinese economy is the brightest spot in the international economy," he said this arrangement is equally beneficial to Singapore and the NTU, China and the SJTU.

In his speech, China's Ambassador to Singapore Zhang Jiuhuan said that the alliance between the two top-notch universities is indeed an important event which has far-reaching significance to the cultural, scientific and educational exchange and cooperation between China and Singapore and will further enhance the mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries and peoples.

SJTU President Xie Shengwu said that the establishment of the SJTU Graduate School at the NTU marks the new stage of an all-round collaboration between the SJTU and the NTU and will create tremendous synergy for both sides in their pursuit of academic excellence.

The SJTU began its conduction of MBA program taught in Chinese in Singapore in 1992 and has educated 299 MBA students. The NTU will launch its Executive MBA (EMBA) program in the SJTU early next year.

(People?s Daily October 31, 2002)