Chengdu University Visited Future Science and Technology City for Negotiation on Sino-British Cooperatively-run School
Author:Du Wei          Source:Office of International Cooperation and Exchange         Date:2021-07-26

To realize the "541" development goals and accelerate the building of Sino-foreign cooperative joint program in running school in western China, Chengdu University initiated the Five-year Action Plan to Implement the Internationalization Strategy, trying to introduce and integrate international quality education resources. On July 23, Peng Xiaolin, Vice President of Chengdu University, He Yu, Director of the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, Sichuan Provincial Education Department, Zhou Rong, Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Chengdu Municipal Education Department, and Vivien Xie, representative of Oxford Brookes University visited the Development Service Bureau of Future Science and Technology City to discuss the proposed cooperation in establishing "Chengdu Oxford Brookes College", a Sino-foreign cooperatively-run school with an independent legal entity. Huang Zhu, Deputy Director of the Development Service Bureau of Future Science and Technology City, gave a warm reception. The heads of departments of the Development Service Bureau and the representatives from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and the College of Overseas Education in Chengdu University attended the meeting.

Positioned as a cluster of international innovative universities and enterprises, Future Science and Technology City is expected to build an international cooperative education park which will become an international applied science center, an intelligent manufacturing demonstration area in western China, and a Chengdu-Chongqing international science education city, while focusing on the key areas of intelligent manufacturing, aerospace, network information, etc.

Peng Xiaolin expressed her gratitude to the government and education authorities for their support for the "541" project and educational internationalization in Chengdu University, and to the Administration of Future Science and Technology City for its warm reception. Then, she introduced the vigorous development of Sino-foreign cooperative education programs in Chengdu University and conveyed her wishes that the University could co-establish a Sino-British educational institution and give full play to its demonstrative role in regional economic and social development. To the end, she invited the High-Tech Industrial Development Zone and the Development Administration of Future Science and Technology City to provide strong support and help to promote the high-quality implementation of the project.

Likewise, Vivien Xie introduced Oxford Brookes University and its planning on overseas cooperative education, and emphasized that the University was particularly interested in Chengdu's development prospects and willing to provide high-quality international education resources for Chinese students through the project of "Chengdu Oxford Brookes College", thus furthering the regional cooperation between Chengdu/Sichuan and the UK.

In his speech, He Yu conveyed the concern and support of Vice Governor Luo Qiang and the heads of the Sichuan Provincial Education Department for the Sino-British cooperation of Chengdu Oxford Brookes College in Future Science and Technology City, and said she was pleased to exchange with all present, and promote educational internationalization together. She highlighted Chengdu University's continuous efforts and brilliant achievements in opening-up education with the provincial and municipal support, underlined the standards and conditions for establishing Sino-foreign educational institution, and acknowledged the importance of "Chengdu Oxford Brookes College". In conclusion, she wished that all parties would expedite the approval of the project based on scientific evidence and research and list the project into the "14th Five-Year Plan" of provincial education to facilitate its implementation.

Zhou Rong analyzed the nationwide layout of Sino-foreign cooperative educational institution with independent legal entity with diploma level, stated Chengdu's determination to build a demonstrative park city and promote vocational education, and explained why Chengdu strongly supported educational opening-up and high-level development of Chengdu University. Furthermore, she promised that the Chengdu Provincial Education Department would provide full support for the construction of Chengdu Oxford Brookes College through specific funds and subsidies and other policies, wishing that the project would become an important driver for the leap forward in vocational education in Chengdu.

Huang Zhu thanked the education authorities for their concern over the construction of Future Science and Technology City, and for Chengdu University and Oxford Brookes University for their contact with the City on the high-quality cooperation project. He said he would follow certain procedures to help promote the implementation of the project.

The head of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange of Chengdu University introduced the planning demonstration of the proposed establishment of "Chengdu Oxford Brookes College" from the aspects of national and local policies, general guiding ideology, construction goals and vision, project mode and advantages, curriculum structure and scale, project infrastructure design, and construction phase plan. The participants exchanged and communicated in depth about the project construction vision, planning, condition requirements, and approval procedures.

It is learned that "Chengdu Oxford Brookes College" is under active preparation for project approval. The college will initially set 6-8 majors, which will increase to 18 in three years with a total of 6,000 students. The college will become the first Sino-foreign cooperative educational institution with independent legal entity with diploma level in western China, and the fourth nationwide.