On June 19, 166 students at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China, proudly became University of Delaware alumni during the inaugural 2024 SWUFE-UD Institute of Data Science graduation ceremony.
These students are the first cohort to graduate from the joint institute which was formally launched during fall of 2020 after many years in the making. The program is administered at UD by the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics.
Shilei Yang, dean of the SWUFE-UD Institute of Data Science, told the graduates, “Always maintain a heart of gratitude, cultivate the ability to adapt, and preserve unwavering ambition.”
“Looking out at all of you, I also see the fulfillment of all the investment from everyone at Lerner and SWUFE, from faculty to staff,” said Oliver Yao, dean of UD’s Lerner College, in his remarks “They had a hand in the degrees we are celebrating today. So did your family and friends who invested in you and helped get you here. They will walk alongside you as you take your next steps.”
In addition to Dean Yao, Lerner’s Rick Andrews, senior association dean for faculty and foreign associate dean of the joint institute; Jennifer Gregan, senior assistant dean for global programs and partnerships; Bintong Chen, professor of operations management and director of the Institute for Financial Services Analytics; Harry Wang, professor of management information systems (MIS); Fei Xie, Chaplin Tyler Professor of Finance; Liying Mu, associate professor of operations management; and Forough Pourhossein, assistant professor of operations management, were in attendance.
During the festive graduation ceremony, bachelor of science degrees in management, finance and MIS were awarded from UD and information management and information systems, financial mathematics and logistics management degrees were awarded by SWUFE. Seven students received honors awards for academic excellence. The ceremony was followed by music, singing and dancing.
Throughout their four years, many students participated in UD’s study abroad tradition, by taking courses in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania and UC Berkeley and in Europe at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and Budapest Business University.
“The SWUFE-UD Institute of Data Science would not have been possible without the collaboration and continued support from several UD departments,” said Gregan. Gregan noted the several UD departments including the Registrar, Admission, Professional and Continuing Studies, Student Financial Services and the English Language Institute all helped to make a seamless experience for the students.
More than half of the graduates will be continuing their education overseas, including Yuhang Huang, who earned a bachelor’s of science in finance from UD. Huang will be pursuing a master’s of science in business analytics and information management at UD’s Lerner College this fall.
“I feel that my perspective has broadened, especially coming from China’s exam oriented education system, where our value judgment has always been rather singular,” said Huang.
“My four years at SWUFE-UD taught me to view things and people with a diverse set of evaluation standards. Additionally, I made great friends at SWUFE-UD who will be spread all over the world, and I feel that they have given me a strong inner strength.”
The graduation ceremony marked another milestone for the joint educational initiative. The program, which started during the Covid pandemic, has grown to more than 700 students, and includes 17 UD faculty who travel to Chengdu to teach throughout the year.
During their visit, the team from UD’s Lerner College met with their SWUFE counterparts and current students to shared their experiences and ways to enrich the learning environment.
“For new students, especially at SWUFE-UD, I believe it’s important to stay in touch with upperclassmen and UD staff,” said Huang. “Due to information gaps, directly communicating with UD is often more effective when handling various matters. Additionally, as a member of the first gra duating class of SWUFE-UD, I think many of our experiences can be valuable references for others.”