On July 9, the University of Maryland's China Alumni Association sponsored an event in two locations, Beijing and Guangzhou, in-person and simulcast online. The Graduate School's Interim Dean Jeffrey Franke spoke via teleconference. Dean Robert Orr, of the School of Public Policy, attended in-person and responded to questions for over an hour. The event, headed by Jing Liu, was aimed at orienting new UMD graduate students to the University, as well as serving as a send-off ceremony.
"The event this past weekend reassured our new UMD graduate students of the University's commitment to its students from China. It was an informative, helpful and well-attended program, with speakers on-site and across the States - supported by the University. The China Alumni Association looks forward to a continued partnership with the Graduate School, the School of Public Policy, School of Engineering, College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, School of Public Health, the UMD Alumni Association, and other programs where we find pockets of Chinese students. By building this UMD network, we hope it will yield a greater alumni community. We also hope that other student-focused alumni groups could use our events as a model to help all international students," says Liu of the event.
