Discussing establishment of endowed scholarship to assist American and Chinese students
RICHMOND, Ky. (May 14, 2014) – EKU President Michael Benson and Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Michael Eastman are sharing the Eastern Kentucky University story in China.
Among other stops, Benson and Eastman are meeting with Chunbo Li, chairman of Zhejiang Medicine Company (ZMC), one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in China, to discuss the establishment of an endowed scholarship to assist American and Chinese students.
While in China, Benson and Eastman are also meeting with several EKU graduates who call the country home.
Li received an honorary doctor of laws degree from EKU in May 2011 when he also addressed graduates at a spring commencement ceremony. He has been the key figure in ZMC’s rise from a state-owned company into one of the largest private pharmaceutical companies in China today. He also has served as Vice President of the Zhejiang Business Federation and Vice President of the Entrepreneurs Association of Zhejiang, has received numerous awards and was chosen in 2008 to be a part of the Chinese delegation attending the G8 Summit in Italy.
He also was instrumental in establishing his company’s long-term relationship with EKU via an exchange program. Through the program, several ZMC employees have earned bachelor’s or MBA degrees at EKU. In turn, ZMC has invited more than a dozen EKU business professors the past decade to lecture in China at no cost to the University.
At the 2011 commencement, then-EKU President Doug Whitlock introduced Li as “a widely respected business leader, a philanthropist whose love for humanity knows no bounds, and a valuable and cherished partner of Eastern Kentucky University.”
Dr. Chang-Yang Lin, a faculty member in EKU’s College of Business and Technology, assisted in the planning and execution of the trip.
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