On the afternoon of August 30, a five-member delegation led by Mary-Claire Proctor, Vice-President of Whitireia and WelTec, New Zealand, visited our university. The two sides held discussions at the Conference Center of Yanta Campus on deepening cooperation in talent cultivation and officially signed a letter of intent for Sino-foreign cooperative education. President Wang Jinfu attended the meeting.
President Wang Jinfu extended a warm welcome to Mary-Claire Proctor and her delegation and expressed his anticipation for a comprehensive upgrade in bilateral cooperation and exchanges. He briefly introduced XSYU’s history, educational objectives, and distinctive characteristics, and reviewed the long-standing history of people-to-people exchanges between China and New Zealand as well as the history of cooperation between the two universities. He emphasized that open educationhas long been a core development strategy of XSYU. The university is always committed to building a new pattern ofinternational cooperation and exchanges that is all-round, multi-level, and wide-ranging, aiming to cultivate high-quality international talents with a global perspective for the implementation of the national energy strategy and regional economic and social development. He noted that establishing substantive cooperation with high-level institutions in New Zealand is an important way for XSYU to enhance the quality of education, promote scientific research innovation and enrich campus culture. Whitireia and WelTec have achieved remarkable results in cultivating practical skills and innovative thinking, and their educational philosophy is worth learning from. He looked forward to elevating cooperation between the two universities in the three major fields of talent cultivation, scientific research cooperation and cultural exchanges. By leveraging educational cooperation, both sides can contribute positively to enhancing the friendship between China and New Zealand.
Mary-Claire Proctor expressed her gratitude for the warm reception from XSYU. She stated that broadening students' global perspectives, enhancing their learning capacities, and promoting multicultural exchange are shared goals among global educators, and this consensus has laid a solid foundation for practical cooperation between the two institutions. Against the backdrop of mutual respect, exchange, and cooperation between China and New Zealand, the friendly collaboration between the two universities will contribute to enriching students' international perspectives and cultural experiences, thereby making positive contributions to regional development in both countries. She suggested that future cooperation could advance in areas such as the development of teaching resources, collaborative scientific research, and two-way faculty and student exchanges, and explore more mutually beneficial models of cooperation.
During the meeting, the head of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office of XSYU introduced the university's profile, its international cooperation and exchanges, as well as potential areas for future collaboration. Members of the New Zealand delegation provided an overview of their institution, history of cooperation with China, disciplinary features, and talent cultivation models. The two sides held in-depth discussions regarding cooperation models, mechanisms, fields, and directions for computer science and business administration programs.
Subsequently, the two parties signed a letter of intent in the presence of representatives from both universities. The signing marks that the official entry of XSYU’s first Sino-foreign cooperative education program into the phase of substantive advancement. The two sides will later establish a specialized working mechanism to conduct detailed consultations on key areas such as joint talent cultivation, collaborative curriculum development, and sharing of teaching resources. This initiative will inject new momentum into enhancing XSYU’s international education standards and deepening educational cooperation between China and New Zealand.
Heads of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office, the College of Computer Science, and the College of Economics and Management attended the meeting.
