Updated: Jun 27, 2024                        Source: suse.edu.cn

On Jun 25, David Christensen, former president of Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand, and Qiu Weijun, director of China’s Project Management Department, visited Sichuan University of Science and Engineering( SUSE) to discuss the potential of joint international programs. President Tuo Xianguo of SUSE welcomed the visitors at Libaihe Campus and hosted the discussion.

Tuo Xianguo made a brief introduction of SUSE, with a particular focus on the development of academic disciplines. He highlighted that the university has established a competitive disciplinary portfolio centered on the light industry and chemical industry, encompassing food science, environment and safety, materials science and engineering. Moreover, SUSE boasts regional advantages in the humanities and social sciences, particularly in disciplines such as economics, management, education, and humanities. Subsequently he provided a detailed account of the university’s achievements in internationalization. He stated that the university is actively engaged in the expansion of international exchanges and cooperation, having cultivated nearly a thousand international students while facilitating opportunities for Chinese students to pursue their studies abroad. Currently, the Ministry of Education has approved the university to implement undergraduate programs for Sino-foreign cooperative education, and foreign language programs, such as Spanish and Portuguese, have also been initiated, aiming to incorporate the concepts of innovation, wisdom and happiness into the practice of internationalized education.

David Christensen observed that, despite of the distinctive features of the New Zealand education system, China and New Zealand have historically engaged in educational cooperation. Waikato Institute of Technology has demonstrated a sustained commitment to international cooperation and exchanges with Chinese universities. This has involved in the implementation of a range of initiatives at various levels and in diverse forms, such as sino-foreign education cooperation and students exchange programs. He said that during his visit to SUSE, he found that the two universities oriented to science and engineering, which share numerous similarities, enjoy a broad outcome for international education cooperation.

The discussion was attended by Li Yongmei, director of International Cooperation and Exchange Office; Fan Huajun, director of International Academic Cooperation and Exchange Center; and Fu Qingshan, deputy director of International Cooperation and Exchange Office.

During their visit, David Christensen and his colleagues had a look around Libaihe Campus and Yibin Campus of SUSE.