After an hour of robust debate and discussion, the Academic
Council voted 44-8 (with four abstentions) in favor of the Fuqua School of
Business's Master of Management Studies degree to be offered at the new campus
in Kunshan, China. More than half
a dozen faculty members voiced diverse perspectives and concerns during the
council's December meeting, which also included an update on China programs
from Provost Peter Lange.
The proposed degree will be modeled after an existing Master
of Management Studies program offered in Durham, and is structured so students
will attend classes in both Durham and Kunshan during the one-year program. The Duke Kunshan University campus is
under construction and is scheduled to be ready for use in late 2012.
The MMS degree, which was refined over the summer by a Fuqua
faculty group, had already been endorsed by the Academic Programs Committee,
the University Priorities Committee, the Global Priorities Committee and the
China Faculty Council. It will now
be considered for final approval by Duke's Board of Trustees during their
regularly scheduled meeting this Friday and Saturday.