From May 12 to 14 2007, student leaders from over 40 business schools around the world gathered in Singapore for the 25th edition of the Graduate Business Conference (GBC). This  was the first year the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management participated in the conference.  Yu Lijiang, Chairman of the MBA Student Union, Shi Yunyun, Vice Chairman, and Francois Cartier, exchange student, were the three representatives of Tsinghua SEM. 

This year’s GBC was organized at the Business School of the National University of Singapore (NUS) with the theme “The Silk Route: From Tapestry to Technology”.  By bringing together MBA student leaders from around the world, the conference aims at helping build bridges between cultures, create networking opportunities, and to allow students to learn from each other’s leadership initiatives.  The President’s Forum and the Best Practices Workshops allowed students to specifically exchange ideas and past experiences on topics such as Alumni Relations, MBA Program Impact, Corporate Relations, Fundraising, Social Involvement, and Diversity.

During the Conference, American and European participants have expressed the willingness to learn more about China in the context of the conference. This could turn in an opportunity for Tsinghua SEM to bring the conference to China in the next few years, to welcome MBA student leaders from top business all around the globe.

About Tsinghua and Singapore Ties 

Ties between Singapore and Tsinghua have been strong for a number of years and continue to grow.  Besides having a number of succesful alumni from Singapore, the school has two exchange programs that are very popular with International MBA students.  In addition, Singapore companies actively recruit at Tsinghua in areas of finance and consulting.  For more information about the conference, please go to the following websites.

http://www.gbc2007.org/

http://www.graduatebusinessfoundation.org/gbc.html