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Strengthening relationships in China through UCL delegation visit

29 May 2024

UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence led a delegation visit to mainland China and Hong Kong this month to meet with prospective students, alumni, partners and supporters.

provost HK Global Prosperity Summit

More than 1,000 offer holders attended UCL receptions in Shanghai, Beijing and Wuhan to meet with Dr Spence and UCL’s Deans Professor Jennifer Hudson (Social & Historical Sciences), Professor Nigel Titchener Hooker (Engineering), Professor Ivan Parkin (Mathematical & Physical Sciences), and Professor Li Wei (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society). 

For the first time, representatives from Students’ Union UCL also accompanied the visit, showcasing the diverse opportunities available to students and exploring opportunities for intercultural partnership development with Chinese institutions around arts, sports and volunteering.

More than 60 alumni volunteers joined the events, helping to run a ‘jobs market’ offering career advice to students while the delegation also visited longstanding partners across mainland China and Hong Kong to strengthen collaborations there.

Dr Spence then joined a panel event at the inaugural Global Prosperity Summit (GPS) in Hong Kong, which brought together 200 business leaders, scholars and representatives of think tanks and investment institutions to consider the challenges to global prosperity and how to address these. 

Alumni volunteers who took part in UCL's events in China

The UCL delegation with Fudan University colleagues

Professor Jennifer Hudson, UCL's Dean of Social & Historical Sciences, signing an MoU with Professor Zhao Feng, Dean of the School of Art & Archaeology at Zhejiang University

Aria Xingni Shi and Issy Smith, Students' Unions UCL, telling offer holders about the opportunities on offer on campus

UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence with Aria Xingni Shi, Activities & Engagement Officer at Students' Union UCL

Professor Jennifer Hudson, Dean of Social & Historical Sciences, at the UCL reception in Shanghai

Professor Li Wei, Dean of IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society, at the UCL reception in Beijing 

Professor Nigel Titchener-Hooker, Dean of Engineering, at the UCL reception in Beijing

Professor Ivan Parkin, Dean of Mathematical & Physical Sciences, at the UCL reception in Wuhan

UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence speaking at the Global Prosperity Summit in Hong Kong

Dr Spence interacting with prospective students at the UCL reception in Shanghai

UCL events in China experienced significant turnout and enthusiasm

Prospective students enjoying 'photo spots' at the UCL event

Prospective students engaging with UCL’s student recruitment team 

UCL Deans engaging with school counsellors from Shanghai and Suzhou

Deepening partnerships

Professor Jennifer Hudson and Professor Julie Norman (Vice-Dean Advancement & Alumni, UCL Social & Historical Sciences) met with colleagues at Zhejiang University to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding in archaeology. It will strengthen collaboration over Asian/Silk Road archaeology and heritage, the University Alliance on Museum Studies, and the establishment of a Plants and Fibre Centre at ZJU.

The delegation also visited Peking University, where UCL signed an institutional Memorandum of Understanding and enjoyed productive meetings around future collaborations in archaeology, global health, mathematics & physical sciences, education, management and economics.

Further meetings with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Fudan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Tsinghua University explored opportunities for collaboration across several fields, including working more closely with Students' Union UCL on student collaboration and exchange.

Building on successful ongoing joint funding initiatives with PKU, ZJU and SJTU, UCL is launching a similar scheme with Fudan University this year to support the development of research and education links.

Exploring global prosperity

In Hong Kong, Dr Spence spoke at a GPS panel event on ‘Science and Technological Co-operation and the Future of Mankind’, discussing how investment in cross-disciplinary research can produce a positive impact on solving some of the world's most pressing problems. Dr Spence was joined in Hong Kong by Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President (Advancement), for a day of meetings with alumni and supporters.

Of the visit, UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence said: “It was wonderful to be back in China and to meet so many enthusiastic and talented offer holders, as well as reconnecting with our valued alumni, academic partners and supporters. We can’t wait to welcome them on campus soon.”

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Credit: China Daily