PDF《The University of Nottingham》

1 The University of Nottingham Ningbo China 宁波诺丁汉大学 Annual Report

2015 2015年度报告 The President A great university means great people

2 However, a good university does not stem from the number of students, nor the size of the campus.

The best way to evaluate a university is through its students. Graduates of UNNC are full of confidence and possess a global vision, just as we aimed for ten years ago. Our students have benefited from the concept of a liberal arts education that we have put into practice. Differing from professional or vocational education, liberal arts education aims to imbue students with broad knowledge and develop intellectual ability, stressing the comprehensive qualities that make an educated person. There are five points that make up a liberal arts education. Firstly, a student needs to master general knowledge, which is the basis for a deeper professional education. Secondly, learning to be a good person comes before learning facts - human beings first, professionals second. Thirdly, the school should be student-centred, making the education of students a priority. The fourth point involves encouraging critical thinking and debate, therefore maintaining a low number of students in a class is of upmost importance. The final point involves providing adequate clubs and social activities, as these can act as a secondary classroom for students. In April

2014 we were the host for the First Conference on Liberal Arts Education. The President and Vice President of Peking University, invited

9 Chinese universities to take part. The Second Conference of Liberal Arts Education was held in October

2015 in Singapore and was co-chaired by UNNC. Liberal Arts Education has been recognised by more and more universities and its foundation is people. It does not matter how pretty your campus is, or how well equipped your laboratories are. If you do not have great people, you cannot build a great University. We have great people. We recruit high quality students as well as top-notch, dedicated staff. We produce truly great graduates and our partners share the same commitment and vision. The achievements of our first ten years were based upon the commitment, hard work and dedication of so many people. We must now look to the future as we have a responsibility to the next generation to build an even greater university that will endure and serve people and society. I look to the future with optimism, enthusiasm and excitement. Professor Yang Fujia President, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China

2015 marks eleven years since the launch of The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). For the past decade, we have seen an expansion of the student body, developments in research capacity, new collaborations with business and government, and growth of the physical infrastructure of the campus. The Provost An international experience in a local setting

3 The creation and success of UNNC is a tribute to the vision of its two partners: The University of Nottingham- a world-class university with a truly global perspective- and Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, an innovative player in the education sector in China. It was a great honour for me to become UNNC'

s fifth Provost and to continue the great work done by my predecessors as we look to the next decade with enthusiasm, energy and optimism. UNNC delivers an international experience in a local setting. Our graduates take with them a world class degree, transferable skills, a creative outlook and a fresh perspective. They are in great demand from employers around the globe and from the world'

s leading universities who recognise their special qualities and global outlook. Our alumnus Jiayi Qiu became the first student from outside the UK to be presented with a President'

s Award from the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers. Jiayi was later named among Phoenix TV'

s '

11 inspirational Chinese'

C a huge honour for him and a stepping stone to a richly deserved UNNC Alumnus of the Year award. Research and innovation are key to our mission, inspiring our students, informing our teaching and supporting economic growth in our host city.

2015 saw record research awards from Chinese and European sources including our first grants from RCUK. The Ningbo Nottingham International Academy for the Marine Economy and Technology connects our world-leading research and academics with government and industry experts to deliver innovative programmes, raising over ?2.3m for collaborative research projects in its first few months. These will focus on renewable energy storage technologies, recycling of polymer waste and hybrid power generation for next generation marine vessels. As a recent arrival from my adopted home city of Nottingham I am delighted by the warmth and vitality of the growing civic links.

2015 saw the 10th anniversary of the Nottingham- Ningbo sister city status. Ningbo presented Nottingham with two magnificent Chinese stone lions and Nottingham gave Ningbo a full-sized replica of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood, who now stands proudly over the city'

s Cultural Plaza! As the Year of the Goat draws to its close, it is with huge pride that I reflect on the most recent achievements of UNNC. In

2004 we were the first Sino- foreign university to open its doors in China to

254 students who believed in a dream. Today, that dream has become reality and more than 6,700 students from over

70 countries now enjoy a wonderful learning and living environment here in Ningbo. In September 2015, President Xi Jinping made his super-State visit to the UK and our Vice- Chancellor Sir David Greenaway was the only British university leader to attend the state banquet hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Sir David thanked President Xi, who had attended UNNC'

s campus opening and given tremendous suppor........