Penn State Greater Allegheny Signs Agreement with University in Vietnam to Train Business Faculty

Penn State Greater Allegheny and Duy Tan University in Da Nang, Vietnam, have signed an agreement for academic collaboration to train about 100 faculty members from Duy Tan University to deliver 24 business courses. This training will occur over the course of four years, beginning this summer.

From the 2010-11 academic year, Penn State Greater Allegheny, which is located in McKeesport, PA, also will send two faculty members to Duy Tan University every semester for at least two weeks to model and monitor the teaching of these courses with the trained faculty and Duy Tan students. During the first year, the summer train-the-trainer sessions will be held at Penn State at Greater Allegheny.

"Penn State Greater Allegheny is happy to take this precedent-setting step with Duy Tan University," said Penn State Greater Allegheny Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter. "Establishing this program meets the needs of both institutions in expanding our international initiatives. Our agreement extends the internationalizing of Penn State and also extends the international capacity of Duy Tan University. Penn State business faculty teach at a world-class standard. Duy Tan faculty will benefit from this widely respected experience. Duy Tan students will be the effective beneficiaries of this joint effort."

Vice provost and director of academic affairs at Duy Tan University, Bao Le Nguyen, and director of academic affairs at Penn State Greater Allegheny, Kurt Torell, were the key individuals who created this partnership. Both expect this agreement, which was signed on Jan. 17, to serve as a model for future relationships.

"Penn State Greater Allegheny looks forward to this long and beneficial relationship that that will reinforce the global emphasis and the future development of both of our Universities," Torell said.

"As we move into the next decade, the need for international relationships among all institutions of national interest will only increase. People, trade and educational interests will become increasingly interdependent and global," Porter said. "We appreciate being a part of this new development with Duy Tan University."