The University hosted the grand opening of its Shanghai office on Monday.

Associate Chancellor Pradeep Khanna, who was present at the opening, said in an email that the event was attended by leaders of major universities, industry organizations, American and Chinese companies, local government officials, alumni and friends.

Ciao Li is a graduate student at the University from Guangzhou, China. She believes the office will benefit her when she returns to China to find a job.

“A lot of us are considering going back to China to work, but since we have been studying here for one or two years or more, we have less connections with companies in China than the students graduating in China,” Li said.

This is one of the reasons Khanna said he thought Shanghai would be a good city for an international office.

“This office is largely to provide services to our students and to help us stay connected with our academic partners and corporate partners in China,” Khanna said.

The office is located within the building of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Shanghai. The office has three work stations, and faculty and students will also have access to conference facilities and meeting rooms.

Khanna said the next project the University is planning is building an office in India. He said they are currently going through a process to get the office approved and are working with legal counsel on the process. He said the project should begin “in the near future.”

“It is important to stay connected with them after they graduate,” said Khanna. “We stay connected with our national alumni, so we want to do the same thing with our international alumni to stay in touch with them.”

Li said she believes international offices will greatly benefit international students.

“When students go back to their country, they might not have much preparation for finding a job there because they spent so much time trying to find a job in the U.S.,” Li said. “So I think opening an office back in their country can help them find a job more quickly.”

Director of Advancement Rebecca Blachly for International Programs and Studies said in an email that this office will help students, like Li, find jobs abroad.

“We have almost 10,000 international students on campus, and many of our students come from China,” Blachly said. “We also recognize that businesses are multinational, and there are great professional opportunities for students and alumni of any nationality to intern or work in global hubs like Shanghai.”

When Li returns to China after she completes her studies in journalism, she hopes to find a job in advertising or at a magazine.

“I was an intern for a television station before I came here and the rules are kind of strict,” Li said. “We have to report limited topics about people’s daily lives, so I want to change that and do more creative things.”

Blachly said the University will continue to strengthen international ties.

“We are devoted to making sure that our international and domestic students are able to learn from one another and have a positive experience in and outside of the classroom,” Blachly said. “Our diversity is a source of strength and pride for the university, and we are grateful for our devoted network of alumni worldwide.”

Taylor can be reached at [email protected].