From November 7 to 11, SDU President Zhang Rong led a delegation to visit the University of Chicago (UChicago) and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He signed the Addendum to Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation Agreement with the two universities respectively to promote strategic cooperation.
On November 8, Zhang met with Daniel Diermeier, Provost of the UChicago. They reviewed the fruitful achievements gained from cooperation in the fields of politics, archaeology, marine science, inter-religious research, entrepreneurship and innovation since the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation in 2011. Zhang introduced SDU’s international cooperation and development plan and hoped that both sides could conduct more extensive and in-depth cooperation by taking advantage of the development of the Qingdao campus. Diermeier thanked Zhang for his great support and expressed appreciation for the achievements made between the two universities. With each and every confidence in the prospect of mutual cooperation, he said that UChicago and SDU are building a new kind of strategic partnership of cooperation and the increasing research cooperation and personnel exchange would greatly promote the Sino-US educational exchanges.
Zhang also paid a visit to Booth School of Business and Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and met with scholars like Randall Kronszer. Michael Kulma, Associate Vice President for Global Initiatives and John Flavin, Associate Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Innovation attended related activitiesevents.
After the meeting, Zhang and Diermeier signed the Addendum to Memorandum of Understanding between Shandong University and University of Chicago. They decided to jointly build the Institute of Government at the Qingdao Campuscampus, organize academic activities events and enhance research cooperation in government administration. They also reached consensus on continuously deepening cooperation in marine science, entrepreneurship and innovation, etc.
During the visit to Virginia Tech from November 9 to 10, Timothy Sands, President of Virginia Tech and Zhang attended the signing ceremony of the establishment of the Shandong University – Virginia Tech Joint College of Interdisciplinary Studies (COIS) and signed the Cooperation Agreement. According to the agreement, the two universities will build an engineering-based Joint College characterized by interdisciplinary development at the Qingdao Campus campus in 2018 to conduct all-round cooperation including joint cultivation program of dual-degree students, research, and transformation of scientific and technological achievements, etc. Zhang and Timothy agreed that similar school-running conceptideas of universities was were the corner-stone for comprehensive cooperation between the two universities, and the substantive cooperation over the past eleven years had laid a solid foundation for the establishment of the Joint College. The signing of the agreement not only marks a new chapter stage of exchanges between the two universities but also indicates a new direction for Sino-US educational exchanges and cooperation.
During the visit, Zhang had an overall observation survey of the running state of Virginia Tech and had discussions with teachers and students, as well as the managing staff of theon the level of the university and colleges schoolsas well as teachers and students. He also met with SDUers studying at Virginia Tech, listened carefully to their ideas of SDUsuggestions and encouraged them to better demonstratedisplay the spirits of SDU students at abroad.
During the visit to the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) at the University of Chicago in Woods Hole, During the visit to the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) at the University of Chicago in Woods Hole, Massachusetts on November 11, Zhang and the delegation had discussions with MBL Director Huntington Willard and other scholars. Zhang introduced the SDU’s research characteristic and developing plan of the Institute of Marine Science and Technology of SDU, and the two sides had an in-depth discussion on joint educational programs and cooperation on marine biology and other fields etc.
Representatives from Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Sino-US International Science and Technology Innovation Park as well as Department of International Affairs of SDU accompanied the delegation.
Source:www.view.sdu.edu.cn
Translated by: Lang Cuicui, Zhao Yan
Photo by: Sun Qiuchen
Edited by: Che Huiqing