Cornell University announced plans March 13 to collaborate with Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest property developer, in establishing a world-class teaching and research institution, VinUniversity.
The campus for this private, nonprofit university will break ground this year, at a ceremony in the Gia Lam urban area of Hanoi, Vietnam.
Cornell is involved in a multiyear consulting services contract that includes advising on the development of infrastructure, campus reviews, curriculum and faculty hiring. Project experts intend for VinUniversity to meet the QS 5-star rating standards, the highest audit rank available from the British education company Quacquarelli Symonds. The university will include schools of business, hospitality and real estate; engineering and technology; general education; public health and health services; nursing; and medicine.
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business will carry out much of the advising.
“Cornell SC Johnson College of Business is pleased to collaborate with Vingroup and provide extensive consultation in a variety of areas, drawing from a wealth of expertise at multiple colleges and units at Cornell,” said Rohit Verma, dean of external relations for SC Johnson College of Business. “We’re looking forward to working with Vingroup in the creation of a new university to benefit the citizens of Vietnam.”
Cornell SC Johnson will provide faculty resources as needed from across Cornell, particularly those related to business and engineering. In addition, it will provide support to Vingroup in the areas of administration, curriculum development and faculty recruitment, critical for the formation of the new university.
“Our goal is to offer quality higher education in Vietnam by establishing a top university, both excellent in teaching and research, which will contribute positively to the economy of Vietnam,” said Le Mai Lan, vice chairwoman of Vingroup. “We envision VinUni as a place where students can advance their skills in the areas of business, technology and health science, and we hope that our graduates will help Vietnam become a stronger competitor in Southeast Asia and on the global stage.”
Enrolled students will take a mix of business, technology and health policy courses, including core courses required for each of the degrees. VinUniversity will begin recruiting faculty in spring 2018. By 2020, administrators hope to enroll as many as 300 students in the university’s inaugural class.
Source: Cornell