Chairman of the University Council Liu Jianping Visits Singapore, Australia and Thailand

From November 12 to 22, a TJU delegation headed by the Chairman of the University Council, Liu Jianping, visited Singapore, Australia and Thailand. During their trip, the delegation attended the 4th Board Meeting of the Confucius Institute at the University of Queensland (UQ), and visited the University of Western Australia, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), the University of Melbourne and Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT). In-depth discussions were held on student exchange, joint graduate education and research collaboration and a university level cooperation agreement was signed. In addition, the TJU delegation also met with TJU alumni in Singapore. The representatives of the Graduate School and the Office of International Cooperation joined in the delegation.

At UQ, the delegation attended the 4th Board Meeting of the Confucius Institute. Present in the meeting with the TJU delegation and at the Board Meeting were Dr. Anna Ciccarelli, Deputy Vice Chancellor (International) and Chair of the Board of Directors, Professor Max Lu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Graham Schaffer, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, Professor Nancy Wright, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Chen Ping, Director of the Confucius Institute and the representatives of the Consulate General of China in Brisbane. Speaking highly of the achievements the Confucius Institute made over the past year, both sides at the Board Meeting agreed to further promote the overall strategic cooperation between the two universities in terms of research, student exchange, faculty mobility and joint PhD program via the bridge of the Confucius Institute.

Afterwards, the TJU delegation visited the University of Western Australia and RMIT respectively, where they were warmly received by the leaders of the two universities. During his visit to the two universities, Chairman Liu presented an overview of TJU history and development, its disciplinary layouts, research strength, national prizes, research industrialization and cooperation with Australian universities. He especially mentioned that the rapid economic and social development and opening up of Tianjin Binhai New Area had been brought into the overall national development strategy, which offered TJU new opportunities and challenges as well. He also expressed his hope that the cooperation between the two universities could be further deepened with more mutual beneficial programs so as to better serve the development of the two universities as well as the cities where the two universities are located. There was a very positive response by the leaders of the two Australia universities. A further discussion was held on cooperation details. At RMIT, a Cooperative Agreement on Graduate Education was signed according to which RMIT would waive tuition and academic fees for six TJU students each year to obtain PhD degrees or join in a collaborative educational program at the Ph.D. level at RMIT. This agreement provided a foundation for future cooperation on teaching and scientific research between the two universities.

At the University of Melbourne, the TJU delegation had a discussion with the representatives of the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and the Department of Resource Management & Geography. Both sides reviewed their cooperation in terms of student exchange, faculty mobility and disciplinary accreditation. The delegation also listened with interest to the valuable experience of the University of Melbourne in the construction of a green campus from the aspects of campus planning, building design, the construction of classrooms and laboratories, and comprehensive and reasonable utilization of resources, which the delegation thought was worth learning in regards to the construction of the TJU new campus.

At RMUTT, the TJU delegation was warmly received by its President, Numyoot Songthanapitak, Vice President Poolkiat Nakawiwat and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Sommai Pivsa-art, who expressed their willingness to develop in-depth cooperation in the fields of internal combustion power and hydraulic engineering with TJU and send more excellent students and experts to TJU for study and exchange. Both sides agreed on initiating student exchange program and research collaboration.

In Singapore, Chairman Liu had a cordial meeting with over 10 TJU alumni there and conveyed their alma mater’s greetings to them. He then briefed the alumni on the TJU recent development and its new campus plan and encouraged them to make greater contributions to their motherland and maintain close ties with their alma mater. The alumni expressed their pride for their alma mater’s rapid development and their hopes for unswerving dedications to the development of TJU.

This successful visit of TJU delegation has laid a solid foundation for the comprehensive cooperation between TJU and the renowned universities in the countries concerned and also streamlined TJU’s contact with its overseas alumni as well as the implementation of its Internationalization Strategy.