OLLU graduate students tour China

SAN ANTONIO • Two Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) professors and 18 School of Business graduate students traveled to China for an international study tour from April 4-16 that included visits to historic landmarks and the offices of major companies including General Motors and Hewlett Packard and a tour of a hospital known for its ground-breaking research.

Jianchao Liu, Ph.D., associate professor of business administration, and Lamar Odom, JD, associate professor of healthcare management, led the 14-day study tour that also included a visit to Shenzhen, the first Chinese city to experiment with a free market economy. While in Shenzhen, students toured Nanshan Hospital with the hospital’s president, Dr. Yang Jia Yong. The hospital was recently featured in Business Week for its pioneering stem cell research. While touring the stem cell ward, several students spoke with the mother of a young American patient who has experienced remarkable results from the stem cell treatment.

Two Our Lady of the Lake University professors and 18 School of Business graduate students traveled to China for an international study tour from April 4-16 that included visits to historic landmarks and the offices of major companies, including General Motors and Hewlett Packard.
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    According to Professor Odom, the students represented OLLU well, asking “tough impressive questions during the operational briefing.” One OLLU MBA student on the trip, Adrian Arzola, said: “This experience has given me the opportunity to see China’s tremendous accomplishments and evaluate its potential with my own eyes.”

    In addition to Shenzhen, students visited Shanghai and Beijing, touring various U.S. and Chinese companies that included: Wal-Mart, Cooper’s Lighting, General Motors, Allianz Funds, Jones Day Law Firm and China Industrial Bank. The tour concluded with a visit to Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall of China.

    OLLU’s School of Business conducts international study tours throughout the year to countries in Europe, Latin America and the Orient. According to Professor Liu, the tours “provide students with an opportunity to experience other cultures and observe globalization at work.”