From July 30 to August 6, President Xu Jiangrong led a delegation on a visit to Auckland University of Technology (AUT), the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and the University of Wollongong in Australia. The visit aimed to explore new channels for collaborative education with world-class international institutions, discuss new models for joint student training, expand opportunities for students to study abroad, negotiate the establishment of Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions, and sign inter-university cooperation agreements. The delegation also held discussions with our students and alumni studying or working in New Zealand and Australia. Accompanying President Xu were Wang Xinqing, Dean of the Graduate School; Wang Jianqi, Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office; Zhou Haomiao, Dean of the School of Information Engineering; and Yu Mingzhou, Dean of the School of Science.
On the morning of July 31, President Xu Jiangrong and the delegation of five visited Auckland University of Technology and toured the key laboratories of the School of Engineering, Computer, and Mathematical Sciences. Professor Wei Qi Yan, Director of the AUT Robotics and Vision Research Institute, introduced the delegation to the institute’s research progress and achievements in computer vision, intelligent monitoring, and deep learning. Professor Peter Chong, Deputy Dean of the School, presented the research outcomes of the AUT Wireless and Intelligent Systems Engineering Center in wireless networks and machine learning. The two sides engaged in extensive discussions and exchanges on joint training of master’s and doctoral students, collaborative research projects and reached a consensus.
On the afternoon, the delegation held a discussion with our faculty and students attending the summer camp at AUT. President Xu Jiangrong inquired about their experiences and progress during the exchange at AUT. He expressed his sincere expectations, encouraging them to cherish the opportunity, fully utilize and appreciate the learning environment at AUT, and to plan their academic paths carefully for future overseas studies.
On the morning of August 1, Professor Guy Littlefair, Vice-Chancellor of AUT, warmly welcomed our delegation and held a formal meeting with our delegation. Mr. William Ho, Director of the International Relations Office at AUT chaired the meeting. Professor Littlefair expressed a heartfelt welcome to the delegation, introduced AUT’s educational situation and international cooperation status, and expressed the desire to develop deeper and more extensive collaborations based on the existing projects. President Xu Jiangrong provided an overview of our university, highlighting our distinctive educational features and advantages. He reviewed the positive cooperation between the two institutions over the past decade and highly praised the undergraduate program in Computer Science and Technology jointly established by the two universities. He also expressed confidence in the newly approved Master’s program in Data Analytics and hoped for more in-depth cooperation in areas such as joint training of undergraduates, master’s and doctoral students, and research projects in the future. Both sides reached a consensus on the expectations and goals for future cooperation and renewed the framework agreement between the two universities.
On the afternoon, the delegation visited the School of Engineering, Computer, and Mathematical Sciences at AUT, where they were welcomed by Dean Tek Tjing Lie. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Yvonne Chan Cashmore, Associate Director of the Design and Creative Technologies School at AUT. Vice-Chancellor Professor Guy Littlefair also attended the meeting. Discussions centered on renewing the agreement for the undergraduate program in Computer Science and Technology, finalizing details for the newly approved Master’s program in Data Analytics, and exploring collaborative research project formats and models. Following constructive discussions, both parties agreed to extend the collaboration period for the current undergraduate program. They also designated the Master’s programs in Computer Science and Technology, Cybersecurity, and Digital Forensics as key future projects and reached a strong consensus on establishing Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions.
On the afternoon of August 2, the delegation visited the University of Canterbury (UC). Accompanied by Elizabeth Zou, UC’s Director of International Cooperation, the delegation toured key laboratories in the field of engineering and gained detailed insights into UC’s technological status and research achievements in areas such as new energy and information technology. Following the tour, the delegation visited the UC library. After the visit, they held a discussion with two of our university’s undergraduate alumni currently pursuing master’s degrees at UC, to understand their adaptation to graduate studies and to hear their reflections and experiences from their undergraduate education.
On the morning of August 3, Professor Brett Berquist, Vice-Chancellor of UC, warmly welcomed our delegation and held a formal meeting. The meeting, chaired by Graham Wise, Director of International Exchange at UC, included in-depth discussions between President Xu Jiangrong and Professor Berquist on their respective institutions' basic situations and educational advantages. They explored potential cooperation on the "3+1+1" joint undergraduate and master's program, overseas graduate study programs, research project applications and researcher exchanges. Both parties highly affirmed the current cooperation and agreed to further expand the depth and scope of their collaboration. President Xu expressed the university’s commitment to increasing support for short-term exchanges and study programs for both undergraduates and graduates, encouraging faculty from both universities to engage in research collaborations, and agreeing to comprehensive cooperation in fields such as engineering management and engineering technology. The two sides reached a strong consensus on the discussed content and future cooperative directions and renewed the cooperation framework agreement. A graduate of our university currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Education at UC was invited to attend the meeting and share their learning experiences.
On the morning of August 4, the delegation visited the University of Wollongong (UOW), where they were warmly received by Professor Gursel Alici, Head of the School of Engineering and Information Sciences. The meeting, chaired by Ms. Lily An, Director of International Strategy at UOW, included a review of faculty and student exchange programs and in-depth discussions on joint student training and inter-university research collaboration. Both sides agreed to expand the coverage of the undergraduate "2+2" credit recognition program and increase the number of student exchanges. They also discussed innovative collaboration models for master’s and doctoral student training, including the "2+2" joint doctoral program, and aimed to achieve more results in international research projects. Following the discussions, the two universities signed a credit recognition agreement.
On the afternoon, the delegation met with Ashley Tanks, Executive Director of Global Strategy at UOW, with relevant personnel from the UOW Global Student Exchange Office also participating in the discussion. Both sides agreed to provide necessary support to international exchange students in areas such as study, living, and language to further promote international student exchanges. After the meeting, Ms. Lily An, Director of Global Strategy at UOW, and Dr. Jin Cui, Head of International Cooperation at the School of Engineering and Information Sciences, accompanied the delegation on a tour of UOW’s key laboratories and library.
On the afternoon of August 5, the delegation met with representatives of our alumni currently pursuing master’s degrees at the University of Sydney. President Xu Jiangrong congratulated the students on their admission to Sydney University, sought their feedback on the university’s development, and expressed his sincere expectations for their future endeavors.
President Xu Jiangrong and the delegation’s visit enhanced our university's cooperation with Auckland University of Technology, the University of Canterbury, and the University of Wollongong, culminating in the signing of three new cooperation agreements. A strong consensus was reached with Auckland University of Technology on the establishment of Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions. Additionally, meaningful exchanges were held with our students and alumni abroad. The visit successfully achieved its expected goals, fostering friendship and trust, and advancing our university’s internationalization efforts.
