UIC is steadfastly committed to its internationalisation efforts, forging strong alliances with globally renowned educational institutions and fostering worldwide communication in education. This strategic move aims to create a broader platform for both students and faculty members.
Networking is one of the key strategies to increase its global influence.
To seek out more opportunities for academic collaboration and further solidify UIC's global connections, this summer, UIC President Prof Chen Zhi paid a visit to seven universities in the US with a delegation. They stopped at the University of California, Berkeley; Northeastern University; Berklee College of Music; Brandeis University; University of Massachusetts Boston; Emerson College and Harvard University.
Prof Chen Zhi with Prof Wang Yuejin, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of Asian Art and Department of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University and the Director of the CAMLab
Prof Chen Zhi with Department of East Asian Languages and Civilisations at Harvard University Prof Peter Bol
Prof Chen Zhi with Former Director of the Centre for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University Francis Clooney
Prof Chen Zhi with Dean of University of California Berkeley Extension Richard Russo
Prof Chen Zhi with Northeastern University Executive Vice Provost Tom Sheahan (middle) and Director of International Strategic Partnerships Mireya Ortega (first from left)
Prof Chen Zhi with Vice President of the University of California, Berkeley Rob Lagueux
Prof Chen Zhi with President of Brandeis University Ronald Liebowitz
Prof Chen Zhi with President of University of Massachusetts Boston Martin Meehan
Prof Chen Zhi with President of Emerson College Jay Bernhardt
Topics such as curriculum setting, faculty recruitment, cooperation on summer programmes and exchange programmes and more were discussed during the visits as part of UIC's mission to provide its students with more opportunities for overseas and advanced study.
Last year, UIC Vice President (Research and Development) Prof Pan Jianxin also led a team and went to the UK, visiting Lancaster University, the University of Surrey, the University of Warwick, the Queen Mary University of London, and the University of Oxford for experience sharing and planning of future cooperation.
Prof Pan Jianxin led a team to visit various universities in the UK
UIC's sustained efforts towards internationalisation have yielded fruitful results and have been experienced by its students and staff.
Today, it boasts over 70 collaborative partnerships spanning 20 countries across continents, including the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, the University of Toronto and the University of Edinburgh.
UIC Provost, Acting Associate Vice President (Internationalisation) Prof Patrick Chau is positive towards the prospect and expects more participation from institutions and students. "In the past year, we have developed more and more international partners, and this year, we expanded to nearly 70," he said. "We do hope that we will at least keep this growth rate."
Students in UIC's summer programme - Oxford University
As a result, around 20 students set off abroad to study exchange in one of the overseas or domestic partner institutes every semester. This year, as 25 partner institutions across Europe, America and Asia participated in UIC's summer programmes, its students actively signed up for the programmes, and 123 came to the University of Oxford, 103 to the National University of Singapore, 46 to the UC Berkley, and over 20 to University of Cambridge, Yale University and more top-tier institutions.
Students in UIC's summer programme - National University of Singapore
Back home, UIC keeps its commitment to creating a diverse learning atmosphere for its students by welcoming global young minds to its campus.
Currently, with UIC's programmes for international inbound students and the launch of the Extended Study Programme with Hong Kong Baptist University, which allows students from both universities to flow between the two campuses, there are 63 international students from different countries including Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Kazakhstan etc., UIC embodies an international academy.
Faculty is also another important component for UIC's international development.
In recent years, UIC has continually intensified its international recruitment efforts by organising exclusive faculty recruitment fairs in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. From 29 September to 3 October 2024, it will come to the UK and host similar events with a focus on attracting top-tier global talent.
"We have been going to many different places to recruit our international faculty," said Prof Chau. "Because many of our faculties get education abroad or used to work abroad, we should use our network to expand our potential candidate pools."
Prof Patrick Chau at UIC's Global Talent Acquisition Promotion Fair in Singapore
Nowadays, UIC's faculty is a multicultural group of lecturers and professors from around 30 countries and regions. Faculty members across all departments have international experience, with nearly 90% holding doctoral degrees. Many faculty members hail from world-renowned universities such as Stanford, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Peking and Hong Kong, providing students with high-quality academic resources and advanced teaching methods.
UIC's journey towards internationalisation is part of its commitment to providing world-class education.
"We inspire our students to embrace a global perspective, to be progressive in their aspirations and open-minded about the world," said Prof Chen during UIC's 16th graduation ceremony. In recent years, over 80% of UIC graduates have pursued postgraduate studies in recent years, with the majority gaining admission to the QS world's top 100 universities.
"We expect our students to play to their strengths and showcase Chinese culture and share Chinese stories on the global stage," he added.
By fostering global partnerships, diversifying student experiences, and recruiting top-tier faculty across the globe, it is shaping future leaders with a truly international perspective.
Click the clip to know more about UIC's international development
From MPRO
Reporter: Cecilia Yu
Video: Owen Li, Hanna He, Cecilia Yu
Photos provided by Owen Li, Jia Yining, IDO and UICers
Editor: Deen He
