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|China EMBA Commencement Address, University of Science & Technology-Beijing, Beijing
October 21, 2005
NOTE: President Spaniolo delivered this speech to students who were graduating from UT Arlington's Executive MBA program in China. The program is a collaboration between UT Arlington and several leading universities in China, which host the classes. This address was delivered at University of Science and Technology-Beijing in Beijing. President Spaniolo gave a similar speech five days earlier at Tongji University in Shanghai.
I am honored to be in Beijing and at the University of Science and Technology-Beijing. This university is known throughout the world for its high-quality research and distinguished faculty in science and engineering, and, of course, economics and management.
I'm pleased that The University of Texas at Arlington and USTB have become partners and collaborators.
I am most appreciative to my colleagues here for helping us become well-established in China. UT Arlington now has a strong presence in Beijing. Thank you for making UT Arlington a "university of choice" for the best EMBA students in China.
I'm proud to represent another great university, UT Arlington. And I congratulate you, the graduates, for joining our more than 165,000 alumni living throughout the world.
UT Arlington is a university in a large metropolitan area, similar to Beijing. And in some ways, USTB reminds me of UT Arlington. We both have strong and large programs in science, engineering, and management. We are about the same size in enrollment. More than 25,000 students from 150 nations choose UT Arlington because they're serious about education and research. We are a leading university in engineering, education, nursing, architecture, science, mathematics, and, of course, business.
While 25,000 students attend classes on our campus, our Center for Distance Education provides Internet-based learning opportunities for students all over the world. Besides our Executive MBA program here in China, we offer courses in Mexico and have assisted in the educational revitalization of Eastern Europe.
Now in our fourth year of partnership with intuitions here in Shanghai and in Beijing and Shenzhen, our enrollment in China has reached almost 500 students. Among American universities, UT Arlington's has become the largest Executive MBA program in China-and I would add this: not only the largest but also the best. That would not be possible without our partners at USTB.
So I thank you at USTB for helping make this so. I thank you, our graduates, for choosing UT Arlington. We are proud of your accomplishments and to call you our newest alumni.
UT Arlington has a diverse student population. Those of you who have visited our campus in Texas know this. We welcome and embrace all students. More than 12 percent of our students come from countries outside the U.S. We believe diversity is not only beneficial to a comprehensive education, it's essential.
Increasingly, this reflects the attitude throughout the United States. Americans-many for the first time-have begun thinking globally. Everyday, there are news reports from nations across the globe, including China. While many of these nations have always made news in America, many Americans have not paid attention until recently.
One cause of this change, of course, is the transformation of Americans themselves. With continued immigration and a renewed emphasis on diversity in the workplace, in the media, and in the greater society, Americans have a new global awareness.
This is increasingly evident in Texas, where one-third of our citizens are Hispanic. However, Texas is no longer a special case. Our most populated states-New York, Florida, and California-also have large and very visible ethnic communities.
There has been a great shift in American society. As our citizenry changes-and with it, the nation itself-the entire world has become more important to Americans. There is more awareness that we are inter-connected, that we need each other socially, politically, and economically.
While the United States remains a strong industrial and economic leader, U.S. consumers increasingly find imported and domestic goods side by side.
Many of these products come from China. China has quickly become our No. 2 trading partner. More than 10 percent of all goods imported to the United States come from China. The words "Made in China" have become a sign of high quality and trust. China exports almost $200 billion worth of goods to the United States, and that figure is expected to reach $1 trillion by the year 2010.
President Richard Nixon's historic visit to Beijing in 1972 to meet with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai opened the door for renewed economic and business ties between our two great nations. That seems like ancient history now. But in little more than 30 years, this relationship has grown beyond all expectation.
Indeed, your minister of commerce, Bo Xilai said last year that China's rapid development is "an economic miracle" that could not have occurred "without the outside world."
Yours is, of course, among the oldest and most revered nations in the world. But in relative terms, China is a new player in world economic affairs. You represent only its second generation of global-minded business leaders.
That makes your education and your experience here even more important and valuable. When you return to work at Alcatel, John Deere, AT&T, SAP, and elsewhere, you'll take with you new ideas, new proficiencies, and new understandings-not only of the business world, but of the world in general.
The United States and China are different nations today than when Nixon and Mao first met in 1972. Our world is different. It has become a global community without borders and without limitations on expectation or possibility.
As such, we must work together, learn together, and grow together. In short, we need each other-as business partners and respected colleagues-more than ever.
We are now afforded access and opportunity like we've never seen. Students in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen can study at a Texas university. Some of you will be attending our College of Business commencement at UT Arlington in December. Scientists, scholars, and entrepreneurs can share thoughts and exchange ideas in real-time. The Internet has become like a magical channel for collaboration and doing business around the world.
For the first time in world history, borders aren't boundaries and collaborating as economic partners is more important than conquering your neighbors.
The world has gotten smaller, and with it, the speed of life has changed. The American journalist Thomas Friedman has written in his new book, The World is Flat, that "we must all run faster in order to stay in place." This is true both for companies and workers...and nations.
In what is my first trip to China, I have seen a country I had only read about or watched on TV up-close and first-hand. I have been in China, in Shanghai and Beijing, for only a few days. However, I feel embraced and exhilarated as I've seen and learned more each day. I have appreciated the warm welcome I've received in this modern, expansive capital city that's full of political and cultural heritage and economic growth. Beijing is a major leading city of the world. I can only imagine how Beijing will look at the time of the 2008 Olympics.
Despite different histories, languages, customs, and thousands of miles between our two countries, I do not feel a world apart. I feel at home. I have enjoyed very good interaction and fellowship with my new friends at USTB.
I am also struck by how many American companies and brands I see alongside Chinese companies and brands. It's not just American labels, of course, but from many other countries, too.
Corporations have themselves become global exports and imports.
As business leaders, it is imperative not only that you understand other cultures, but that you also welcome and embrace them. You have already begun this process by studying and learning in an Executive MBA program taught in English. I commend you for this discipline and dedication to learning. In fact, I am awed by your commitment, as well as your competence. I wish I could say we had a similar commitment to learning and embracing other languages, including Chinese, in my country.
Accepting and embracing others does not mean you sacrifice your own identity or sense of place and history. Not at all. Always remember who you are and who you want to be. Never forget where you're from or where you're going. The modern world requires that you change only how you do things; never who you are.
This is a proud day. On behalf of The University of Texas at Arlington, let me congratulate you on this outstanding achievement. I applaud your commitment to excellence.
This will enable you, the next generation of business leaders, to contribute to your nation's success and economic prosperity. Your contributions to your family, your community, and your country will be great. You are pioneers of whom much will be expected.
At UT Arlington, we tell our students to "expect great things." So today I tell you, the newest graduates of our University, to "expect great things" in your careers and in your lives. And "expect great things" for China. Let us commit ourselves to this shared belief: The best is yet to come-if we work together.
