Chief Executive Matt Vincent will join Montana Tech Chancellor Don Blackketter and several others on a 10-day trip to China next month in hopes of attracting more Chinese students to study and live here.
They plan to pitch investment opportunities in Butte as well, visit at least four colleges or universities and meet with Chinese education and government leaders as well as U.S. officials there.
Strengthening cultural ties with China can pay off in many ways, they say. And what’s good for Tech is good for Butte and vice versa.
“More students mean more faculty which means more jobs, and these aren’t just your average students,” Vincent said. “There is a whole cultural divide that we need to bridge. I will be there to give introductions on what Butte has to offer as a community and our deep cultural connections with the Chinese.”
Blackketter said Tech has “paper” ties and understandings with some Chinese universities, but there are fewer than 10 Chinese students at Tech now.
“With the Chinese culture, as we understand it, you have to go over there and they have to get to know you and trust you,” he said. “Essentially we’re trying to attract their children to come to Butte, and they have to believe they will be safe and the academic programs are rigorous and relevant.”