Provost Edward Weil (left) with Zhejiang University of Technology President Zhang Libin

William Paterson University has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Zhejiang University of Technology in Hangzhou, China, which emphasizes the development of academic and cultural interchanges in the areas of education, research, and other activities.

The agreement was signed following a visit to China by Arnold Speert, University president, in May 2007 and by Edward Weil, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, in November 2007.  Students from Zhejiang were among 33 students from three Chinese universities who spent three weeks at William Paterson last August learning about American stock and commodity markets and how to manage portfolios through a program hosted by the University’s Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business.

“We are excited to work with the leadership at Zhejiang University of Technology to develop programs that are mutually beneficial to our institutions,” says Weil.  “Zhejiang is a premier Chinese institution of higher education, and we look forward to engaging in a variety of initiatives that will benefit students and faculty.”

Students from Zhejiang University who visited William Paterson last summer with (from left) C.K. Leung, professor of economics, finance, and global business at William Paterson, and Provost Edward Weil

Areas of cooperation cited in the agreement include faculty exchanges for teaching and research; student exchanges; program-to-program articulation agreements; joint conferences; joint cultural programs; and joint curricular offerings and training/development programs.

Initially, the two universities have signed an articulation agreement between the Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business at William Paterson and the College of Business Administration at Zhejiang University of Technology designed to provide a seamless transition for Zhejiang students who wish to transfer to William Paterson to complete their bachelor’s degrees.  The agreement also outlines the application procedure for those students holding bachelor’s degrees from Zhejiang who wish to pursue the master of business administration degree at William Paterson.

Zhejiang University of Technology is situated in the city of Hangzhou, one of the ancient capitals of China.  The university, with an enrollment of approximately 43,000 students, is considered one of the top five institutions of higher education in China. It is located in Zhejiang Province, known as China's Silicon Valley, which has one of the strongest economies in all of China.