The magazine for alumni and friends of the UB School of Management
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sented Thomas with a plaque of gratitude on behalf of graduates of the School of Management's Dalian MBA program at a ceremony hosted by UB President Satish K. Tripathi on October 3. Thomas directs the School of Management's HSBC Center for Global Business Leadership, which provides opportunities in international business for management students. He also is dean emeritus and served as associate dean of international programs for the school. When U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced the creation of the Dalian program during a diplomatic trip to China in 1984, the news made headlines all over the world for being the first U.S. MBA program in China. Thomas was one of the founding faculty and later became dean of the Dalian program, which graduated more than 200 students before ending in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He championed the School of Management's historic return to China in 1998, collaborating with Renmin University in Beijing, China, to launch China's first Executive MBA program. The School of Management has been praised by Businessweek as "a pioneer in the Asian market for man- agement education." "With gratitude, respect and friendship, we Dalian MBA alumni are honored and proud to present this award to Dean Emeritus John Thomas in recognition of his out- standing leadership in UB's Dalian MBA program and his contributions to the development of China MBA educa- tion over the past 30 years," said Dong, who is a 2012 China Economy Top 10 Business Leader and serves on the School of Management Dean's Advisory Council. "China is grateful to UB and will remember those who helped China to start MBA education." x Undergraduate business program again ranked by U.S. News The School of Management is again ranked as one of the country's best undergraduate business programs in the 2014 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News and World Report. The school is tied for No. 86, higher than any other business school in the State University of New York system. The ranking positions the school in the top 15 percent of accredited undergraduate business programs. Based on a survey to deans and senior faculty at accredited schools, the ranking asks participants to rate the quality of all programs they are familiar with on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). For more information on how UB and its programs were ranked, visit http://bit.ly/ubusnews. x Thomas lauded for contributions to China program John M. Thomas, professor of operations management and strategy in the School of Management, was given an award for his significant contributions to UB's China MBA program at the Dalian University of Technology. Edward Dianhui Dong, MBA '91, vice president and general manager of China operations for NDC Infrared Engineering, pre- S t a r t u p s B B Spring 2014 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................... "With gratitude, respect and friendship, we Dalian MBA alumni are honored and proud to present this award to Dean Emeritus John Thomas in recognition of his outstanding leadership in UB's Dalian MBA program and his contributions to the development of China MBA education over the past 30 years." — Edward Dianhui Dong Vice President and General Manager of China Operations for NDC Infrared Engineering Dong and Thomas. Photo: Douglas Levere