Peking University, May 14, 2016: From April 24 to April 28, a Peking University delegation headed by President Lin Jianhua went to Oxford University to attend the Presidents Forum of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU). The delegation also attended the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at Free University of Berlin.
On the morning of April 24, President Lin took part in a PKU alumni event with over 60 PKU alumni at the Confucius Institute in University College London. In the afternoon, the delegation went to Oxford University to attend the Presidents Forum of IARU. Presidents from the Oxford University, Peking University, National University of Singapore, Australian National University and University of Copenhagen addressed an audience of 150 alumni and staff from all of their universities. The event on 24 April also witnessed the admission of the University of Cape Town to IARU.
The Presidents Forum
During the Forum On April 25 and 26, Chancellors and presidents spoke about the moral purpose of universities and the many pressures facing higher education during a wide-ranging discussion in Oxford. They emphasized the long-term benefits of universities, explored the possibilities of cooperation under the IARU framework and referred to the effects of globalization and social media during the frank and open debate at the Forum. They also discussed the impact of technology and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) upon future teaching. During the forum President Lin signed a Ph.D. dual degree agreement with the president of Austrian National University.
On the afternoon of April 26, the delegation went to the Jesus College at Cambridge University and met with the dean of the College, Professor Ian White. On April 27, the delegation went to University College London and London School of Economics and met with Michael Arthur, the president of UCL, and Craig Calhoun, the President of London School of Economics. In his talk with Michael Arthur, Lin said that the Confucius Institute of UCL, which was co-established by UCL and PKU, has played an important role in the Chinese teaching in Britain and will serve as a platform for the cooperation between the two universities. When talking with Craig Calhoun, Lin expressed his hope for more diversified forms of cooperation between the two universities.
President Lin presenting souvenir to President Michael Arthur
President Lin and President Craig Calhoun
After his visit to Britain, President Lin went to attend the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at Free University of Berlin on April 28. During the ceremony Lin mentioned that the exchange between PKU and Germany dated back to the early years of the university, when the former president Mr. Cai Yuanpei introduced the advanced educational concept of Germany to PKU and made it part of the school spirit. The two presidents also discussed plans for future cooperation.
The meeting at Free University of Berlin
Written by: Wang Zeyu
Edited by: Xiao Yunyun
Source: Office of International Relations
