Keeping the Bar High at BiMBA

Every September, about 500 of China's best and brightest find their way to the campus of Beijing University to become part of one of the most prestigious MBA programs in the country. The Beijing International MBA, known simply as BiMBA, is operated by a consortium of American Jesuit business schools, including Fordham University's Graduate School of Business Administration, which awards the degree. Only six years old, the program inspires deep devotion among students, drawing nearly 1,000 alumni for its end-of-year party.

BusinessWeek B-schools editor Louis Lavelle spoke recently with Michael Furst, associate dean for institutional development at BiMBA and a management professor at the program, about what makes BiMBA tick. The following are edited excerpts from their conversation.