On the morning of September 25, Alistair Fitt, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University (OBU), visited Chengdu University (CDU). Liu Qiang, Secretary of the Party Committee of CDU, cordially met the esteemed guests at the guest hall of the College of Chinese & ASEAN Arts. The two sides had friendly talks on matters related to the comprehensive cooperation between the two universities and the joint application for the establishment of the Chengdu Oxford Brookes Vocational and Technical College.
Liu Qiang extended his cordial welcome to the guests and introduced to them the historical background and strategic positioning of CDU as well as the integration of the university's implementation of the talent strategy, characteristics, internationalization strategy, and digital strategy. He said that this visit has enhanced the mutual understanding between OBU and CDU, and laid a good foundation for CDU to further strengthen cooperation with foreign universities. He pointed out that the two universities share a similar university-running philosophy and international development vision and expressed his expectations to further broaden the fields of cooperation with OBU. The aim is to facilitate faculty and student exchanges, collaborate in international research, and jointly promote deeper cooperation and exchanges between the two universities.
Vice-Chancellor Alistair Fitt expressed his gratitude to CDU for their warm reception and introduced in detail the historical background, discipline development, and strategic planning of OBU. He pointed out that OBU is a distinctive comprehensive university in the United Kingdom. The university hopes to enhance its global influence in teaching, research, and cultural exchanges by establishing sustainable international partnerships with universities, enterprises, and other organizations. He said that OBU values greatly the cooperation with CDU and he hoped that in the future, the two universities could carry out more in-depth cooperation and exchanges in the areas of cooperative education, talent training, scientific research, and so on.
After the meeting, the guests visited the campus and the CDU Institute for Advanced Study.
OBU's Pro Vice-Chancellors Joseph H. M. Tah and Tim Vorley, Professor Donald Ridley, Associate Dean of Strategy and Development of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, and Dr. Sara Hannam, Head of Global Partnerships at OBU participated in the visit. Peng Xiaolin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of CDU, attended the meeting. Relevant heads from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Development Planning, and Business School of CDU also attended the meeting.
About OBU:
Founded in 1865, Oxford Brookes University is renowned for practical application innovation and problem-solving for various industries. It has been honored with the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. It is ranked 413th in the 2024 QS World University Ranking, 41st in the United Kingdom, and among the top 10 universities in the southeast of the United Kingdom according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024. With 19 world-class disciplines and in the same city as University of Oxford, it is often referred to as the "Little Oxford" of the United Kingdom.
