On the afternoon of October 10, 2016, David H Turpin, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta with his faculty members visited Peking University (PKU). PKU President Lin Jianhua and Ray P.S.Han, Professor and Assistant Dean of Department of Materials Science and Engineering, welcomed the guests at Administrative Building.
President Lin firstly welcomed the arrival of all faculty members from the University of Alberta. He briefly gave an introduction of PKU, including the number of students as well as major departments. Then, President Lin mentioned the progress that China was making at research and science technology programs. He also introduced the educational system reform he had been doing ,which contained the improvement of social science and humanity research and the exchange of thoughts and ideas among faculty members across the world. Lastly, President Lin expressed his wish to have more communication and cooperation with the University of Alberta in terms of academic and cultural exchange.
President David H Turpin expressed his appreciation to the well-known reputation of PKU. He introduced the general geographical features of the University of Alberta as well as the specialized energy and environment research programs. He also mentioned the remarkable steps that had been made between China and Canada through China Scholarship program and Canada Learning Initiative with China program, which has been led by the University of Alberta to encourage more Canadian University students to study in China. Then, President David H Turpin looked forward to having more Top Canadian Universities joined in this program such as the University of Toronto and UBC.
Professor Ray P.S. Han introduced the background and features of GlobexJulmester Program at PKU to faculty members of the University of Alberta. He hoped that through this program it would be easier and more flexible for engineering students to study abroad. Taken all the programs into consideration, President Lin and President Turpin signed agreements for future cooperation, and hoped to have a solid academic communication between two universities, which would also strengthen the relationship between China and Canada ultimately.
Background Information: The University of Alberta (also known as U of A), founded in 1908, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The University of Alberta is a major economic driver in Alberta and has been recognized by the Academic Ranking of World Universities as one of the top five universities in Canada. As one of the leading research universities in Canada, the university has made discoveries in a number of research fields as well as supporting numerous research programs. U of A also has established a long term academic exchange relationship with PKU to send Canadian students to study abroad in China these years.
Written by: Zhu Jieyun (Jane)
Edited by: Li Ruoxue
