On October 20, Symposium on International Education Cooperation was held at China Jiliang University (CJLU). The symposium with the theme of “Opportunities and Challenges for International Cooperation in Education under the Pandemic” was organized by Office for International Exchange and Cooperation and College of International Education, as part of celebrations for CJLU’s 43rd anniversary. Professor Helmut Dispert, former vice-president of Kiel University of Applied Sciences, and Professor Arun S. Mujumdar from McGill University were invited to deliver keynote speeches on how to develop international cooperation in education under the pandemic. The symposium was chaired by Wu Hongkuan, dean of College of International Education. Over 60 people including staff members of Office for International Exchange and Cooperation and College of International Education, those in charge of foreign affairs at different colleges, and international student representatives attended the symposium offline, while foreign guests and alumni attended the symposium online.
At the symposium, Wang Jianqi, director of Office for International Exchange and Cooperation introduced current situation and development orientation of international exchange and cooperation at CJLU, including international cooperation platforms such as B&R University Alliance for Standardization Education and Academics, Confucius Institute at University of Finance and Administration (VSFS), and Zhejiang-Czech Prague Silk Road Institute, Sino-foreign collaborative education programs, education for international students, etc. He also expressed his heartfelt thanks to the foreign alumni and friends who have cared about CJLU’s internationalization, and looked forward to further expanding international education cooperation after the pandemic. Professor Helmut Dispert reviewed the exchanges and cooperation with CJLU over the past years, showing many precious photos of the cooperation and exchange between the two universities. He also analyzed the challenges in the current international education cooperation with detailed data and charts, and shared the countermeasures taken by Germany, suggesting virtual international academic collaboration and seeking new opportunities for international cooperation under the pandemic. Professor Arun S. Mujumdar looked back on his experience of scientific research cooperation with China in the past 40 years, and believed that cross-cultural and interdisciplinary academic exchanges had greatly improved the efficiency of scientific research and achieved fruitful results. At the symposium, the international education and teaching programs, such as summer camp, winter camp, degree programs taught in English, and triple-degree cooperation programs of University of Finance and Administration (VSFS) as well as the development of the Confucius Institute, which was co-built by VSFS and CJLU, were also presented.
Glen Lester, the English language teacher of CJLU, shared his teaching experience, saying that he likes the teaching environment and students here very much, and he will do his best to help students grow up. International student representatives Simbarashe Mamvura and Amoako Joshua Yaw shared their learning experiences and thoughts on how to adapt to the new teaching model under the pandemic. In the free Q&A session, participants actively exchanged ideas and made suggestions for international education cooperation. Finally, participants watched the video of CJLU, which fully shows CJLU’s characteristics and great achievements, providing a comprehensive perspective for foreign friends and alumni to understand CJLU better.
The symposium demonstrated the achievements of CJLU in international education cooperation, discussed how to promote international education in the context of the pandemic, which pooled the strength of foreign alumni and friends, and helped improve CJLU’s international competitiveness.
