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UIC signs additional MoUs at Sino-American Liberal Arts Forum

Published on 2 December 2015

UIC made another massive advancement by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Oberlin College as well as signing a MoU and an exchange agreement with Hendrix College.

UIC President Professor Ng and Oberlin College's Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Professor Elgren sign a MoU

The memorandums of understanding that were signed between UIC and Oberlin College as well as UIC and Hendrix College are bilateral agreements that express a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is considered a more formal alternative to a gentlemen's agreement. The exchange agreement that was also signed between UIC and Hendrix College will encourage students from UIC to take part in overseas programmes in the USA as well as the opportunity for American students to come to UIC to take part in programmes in China. These agreements indicate that UIC is expanding its partnerships and building a stronger strategy for its liberal arts educational model.

UIC and Hendrix College finalise a memorandum of understanding

The signing took place at the end of the 8th Sino-American Liberal Arts Forum that was held at United International College’s campus in the Southern Chinese city of Zhuhai from November 18th through November 19th. The forum’s theme was “The Future of Liberal Arts Education: Challenges and Possibilities”, which was addressed in speeches by distinguished guests and UIC senior management members. The event continued the well-established tradition of holding liberals arts forums to strengthen ties with US Liberal Arts Institutions and to open a transnational forum for liberal arts educators to discuss current issues, exchange views, and to learn from each other’s experiences. 2015 marks UIC’s 10th anniversary as a liberal arts college, so this was incredibly important for UIC, especially as they hosted the event.

UIC President Ng Ching-Fai and Hendrix College president Dr. William M. Tsutsui signed the Memorandum of understanding and an exchange agreement directly after President Ng signed a Memorandum of understanding with Oberlin’s Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor Timothy E. Elgren.

UIC Vice President, Professor Zee Sze Yong gave a speech about “Liberal Arts Education: Challenges and Possibilities in Mainland China”. He mentions that liberal arts education has a lot of different facets to it and different institutions have quite different educational models, ethos and backgrounds. After his speech at the forum, Professor Zee took questions from the audience, which was mostly a mix of students and professors from China and the USA.

Year 2 International Journalist student, Zhong Zhihao asked Professor Zee “To what extent do you think UIC has developed its liberal arts education compared to those ones in the US?”. Professor Zee responded that UIC is only 10 years old and not as old as other universities, however UIC is able to pick the best of liberal arts ideas. He mentions that UIC successfully adopted a foreign educational system and that UIC is beginning to flower from the fruit it once was, this includes the expansion of the new campus.

Students ask Professor Zee questions about UIC's liberal arts educational model

Another UIC student asked “How can we say liberal arts education is good because Mainland China judges universities on ranking and on their graduates?”. Professor Zee responded by saying “As UIC is only 10 years old and has fewer Alumni than other universities. However through certain programmes we have connected with former alumni and noticed their career paths. I remember going to Kean University-Wenzhou and being told about a former student of UIC who at only 27 years old was being promoted into a major position due to his excellent skills. I know some former UIC students are already on the path to becoming officials.”

Associate Vice President Professor Lilian Kwan added that parents want their students to come to UIC as it uses English as the medium for teaching. They believe it will help their children prepare for when they go abroad for further studies. UIC wants parents to understand liberal arts education and have a different mindset as it is not just about university rankings but the output.

The final question was asked by another UIC student was concerned on how can UIC keep liberal arts education independently without outside interference? The answer from Professor Zee was that UIC has its own goals and that it all deals with outside parties is two-way traffic and it is not all bad to have involvement from the outsides. He mentions how it is always good for UIC to lead when engaging with outside involvement and that UIC is not worried by interference from the outside.