A school accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) is looking to win the attention of more talented international business people.

At the School of Management of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), the number of international business students has steadily risen since the school was established in 1995.

Currently, 43 international students from more than 10 countries are working towards degrees at the school.

Andrew Stotz, a 50-year-old American is one of them.

Prior to coming to USTC to do his PhD, Stotz was a stock analyst and businessman in Thailand.

After nearly two decades of work, Stotz was awarded the title of the top analyst in the country by Asiamoney magazine in 2008 and 2009 and the same in Greenwich Associates' surveys. The following year he won the award for the second time in a Greenwich Associates survey.

Stotz worked for several renowned securities companies in Thailand, ran his own businesses and worked as a lecturer at more than a dozen Thai universities.

During his career in Thailand, which spanned more than 20 years, Stotz never considered going to China for business or to study until 2009, when he met Lu Wei, a professor at USTC and Stotz's current academic supervisor.

Lu recognized Stotz's talent and professional achievements and thus invited him to come to USTC to teach entrepreneurship and investment.

"I accepted his invitation after a couple of months. I learned from Lu that the institution was important, while we also have to remember that it is people that attract people. This top Chinese university has so many professors who are engaging and reaching out to the new generation. That really makes a difference," said Stotz.

"I look at my experience in teaching myself, my objective is also to engage young people's curiosity, in learning and in questioning. That's what I want to help young people think about," he added.

After a couple of years, Stotz decided to do his PhD at USTC. "Professor Lu told me that I had been doing really good research but I still needed some academic guidance and practice to make my papers more rigorous", said Stotz, who has written several papers, mostly on stock analysis.

Patrick Woock, from Chicago, had a similar experience when he decided to study at the school, although he had a completely different business background.

Born in 1969, Woock started in the insurance business in the United States at the age of 26 after he graduated from the University of Mississippi and bought his father's company.

"Running a business is not easy and sometimes too difficult at the beginning, but over time, it improves and slowly you get to know how to do better and eventually become very good at business and enjoy it," said Woock, who ran the insurance firm for several years before selling it.

In 2002, when China joined the World Trade Organization, Woock decided to embark on a new journey, which he thought would bring him more opportunities.

He founded an investment company in China and invested in the country's residential real estate sector. He said this brought him returns of 1000 percent during the past 10 years. He also invested in a logistics company between 2005 and 2007, which expanded its sales to $5 million a year.

In 2009 Woock got involved in water recycling projects.

"In cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, water resources seem very limited and the expenses are often very high for large office buildings or hotels," said Woock, who is optimistic about the recycling projects.

Woock's company buys recycling equipment from China and Singapore and installs it for clients, who pay no money for the equipment but hand over a share of the money they save because of it.

"Woock has very good academic performance and he is also very successful at running a businesses," said Lu, who was in touch with Woock for some years before he invited him to come to study for his PhD at USTC in 2012.

As well as studying at USTC, Woock also works as an international entrepreneurship teacher for younger graduates and undergraduate students, who speak highly of his willingness to share his skills.

"China's international status, the universities' academic authority and the university's seriousness in attracting international talents are the reason behind our success," said Lu, academic supervisor to both Stotz and Woock.

"As well as improving mutual-trust and communication, we are working hard to provide students with better added-value and job opportunities."

zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 03/06/2015 page11)