UA to Provide Academic Services for New Chinese University
The landmark agreement establishes the UA as the academic service provider for Nanjing International University.

Johnny Cruz
Feb. 29, 2008



The University of Arizona has entered into a landmark agreement with China’s Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education to serve as the primary academic service provider for a new university in China.

Under the agreement, the UA will provide all of the intellectual content for certain degree programs at the yet-to-be-built Nanjing International University, or NIU, which is expected to reach enrollment of up to 10,000 students within its first 10 years of operation.

This agreement eventually will provide students the opportunity to obtain a degree from the UA – in select majors – while attending NIU in China.

Dennis Deconcini, a member of the Arizona Board of Regents, UA Executive Vice President and Provost Eugene G. Sander and interim Vice President for Instruction Jerry Hogle joined officials from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education for a signing event in Nanjing.

”This is a tremendous opportunity for students in China and for our faculty,” said UA President Robert N. Shelton. “Our agreement with NIU allows our faculty to deliver educational content from a world-class public research university in an important part of the world, and students the opportunity to enjoy a UA experience thousands of miles away from Tucson.”

NIU will compensate the UA for providing all of the academic content for degree programs that will be mutually agreed upon by the two institutions on a major-by-major basis.

Compensation and other expenses covered by NIU will include faculty salaries and benefits, intellectual property licensing fees, living and travel expenses for visiting faculty and other costs.

NIU students interested in earning a bachelor’s degree from the UA will need to complete a minimum of 120 approved credit hours. The UA will identify the necessary course requirements for the selected major in accordance with the UA’s accreditation agency, the North Central Association.

The first 90 credits would be completed at NIU and the final 30 credits would be administered by approved UA faculty either in China or at the UA. Faculty hired to teach UA courses in Nanjing will be approved by the University and must be awarded at least adjunct faculty status.

Once built, the new NIU campus will consist of approximately:

  • 50,000-60,000 square meters of classroom buildings.
  • Up to 62,000 square meters of administrative and student support buildings.
  • Up to 80,000 square meters of faculty housing.
  • Up to 75,000 square meters of student housing.

NIU will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees with an emphasis on applied programs in science, engineering and technology.

Construction of the NIU campus will move forward once it is approved by China’s Ministry of Education and registered with the Jiangsu Civil Affairs Bureau.

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