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The People's Government of Zhuhai City and UIC signed an agreement on Oct. 22 to begin mutual strategic cooperation in establishing UIC to become a world-class liberal arts college.

The collaboration will allow UIC to contribute more in assisting the municipal government in civil servants training, social work and social services, eco-city development, high-end international forums, and the development of Hengqin New Area.

The two sides will jointly set up a committee to establish a system of regular meetings to formulate implementation plans.

UIC will take part in Zhuhai's urban development plan for the revitalization of Huitong Village and its adjacent area into a university town.

The Zhuhai government will set out supportive policies for UIC.

Meanwhile, the college will provide training services for public sectors in banking and finance, business and management, English language and environmental protection.

Hosted by Mr. Zhang Song, Secretary-General of Zhuhai Municipal Government, Ms. Long Guangyan, Vice Mayor of Zhuhai, and Prof. Zee Sze-Yong, Vice President of UIC, signed the agreement. The signing was witnessed by Mr. He Ningka, Mayor of Zhuhai,and UIC's President Prof. Ng Ching-Fai and Vice President Prof. Zhang Cong.

In attendance were Mr. Niu Jing, Director of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area; Mr. Qiu Shi, Director of the Administrative Committee of Zhuhai State Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone; Mr. Zhong Yijun, Director of the Zhuhai Education Bureau; Prof. Stella Cho, Dean of the Division of Business and Management of UIC; Prof. Stephen Chung, Dean of the Division of Science and Technology; Prof. Mei-Hwa Sung, Dean of the Division of Humanities & Social Sciences; Ms. Lillian Li, Assistant to the President; Dr. Catherine Leung, Prof. Johnston Wong, and other guests from various government bureaus and UIC.

In his speech, Prof. Ng thanked Zhuhai for its consistent support of UIC and he hopes that such support can sustainably grow in the future. "The cooperation is crucial, as UIC is the first, and for now the only, full-scale cooperation in higher education between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The college shoulders a historical mission of advancing the internationalisation of Chinese higher education. UIC will continue its persistence in the philosophy of liberal arts and whole-person education." He said.

Prof. Ng revealed that the college is now planning strategic development, including the expansion on the new campus, which will increase the college's disciplinary structure, the number of students, teaching quality and research ability.

In future development, a graduate school, research and development bases, a faculty for continuing education and more new programmes will be added to help UIC become a world-class university focusing on liberal arts education. The number of undergraduates and postgraduates will steadily increase to 6,000 and 2,000 students respectively.

Mr. He Ningka congratulated the participants on the exhilarating cooperation. "The development of Zhuhai's higher education started from scratch about a decade ago. Nowadays, there are 10 colleges and universities in Zhuhai with the second largest number of full time students (120 thousand) in Guangdong. It is an important agreement by UIC and the Zhuhai government in their reciprocity to enhance the city's higher education." He added.

The success of UIC's recent co-operations with Hengqin New Area, and the government's commitment to Zhuhai's future, is evident in the academic expansion currently underway throughout the college.

As a whole, the cooperation between UIC and the Zhuhai People's Government will be beneficial to the economic growth of Zhuhai. UIC will stay in the forefront by maintaining its unique vision, teaching quality and reputation, and the college will continue to facilitate Zhuhai's development as a regional business destination.

Reporter: Sze Ying Cheong

(from MPRO, with special thanks to IJ and the ELC)