UM Provost Morris Stocks, left, and North China University of Technology Vice President Luo Xueke sign an educational collaboration agreement.
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi has signed an agreement with North China University of Technology in Beijing to establish an international partnership for education, research and development, which takes effect this fall.
NCUT Vice President Luo Xueke and NCUT Director of International Programs Jiaquan Xiong met Wednesday (June 3) with UM Provost Morris Stocks and other members of UM’s leadership team in the Lyceum, where the memorandum of agreement was signed.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to join in a collaborative agreement with North China University of Technology,” Stocks said. “This will give us an opportunity to bring 15 to 20 of their students to visit with us each year, and it will also give study abroad opportunities to our students.”
Chinese students will study at UM, with their tuition being funded through a scholarship from the Chinese government. The agreement also provides opportunities for UM students to study at NCUT. UM faculty will be able to teach in Beijing during intersessions or summer terms, and NCUT faculty could also teach at UM. On Wednesday, the two parties also discussed the establishment of an international education center at NCUT to serve both universities.
The memorandum is another important step in UM’s effort to grow its international student population, Stocks said. The university has set a goal of doubling the current international student enrollment of nearly 1,000 from 92 countries in five years. Officials from the UM Office of Global Engagement have ventured into India and China to recruit freshman students from high-performing secondary schools.
The UM Office of Global Engagement is also partnering with schools, universities and media, as well as government and private agencies in target recruitment countries, with the goal of promoting the UM brand and its reputation for academic excellence.
“NCUT already knew about our university when we contacted them,” said Nosa O. Egiebor, UM senior international officer, executive director of the Office of Global Engagement and professor of chemical engineering.
Egiebor notes the new accord is aimed at facilitating international collaboration and partnership between the two institutions on all aspects of global education, research and development. Its provisions are as follows:
- Enabling NCUT students to study at UM as exchange students for two years with full sponsorship provided through the Beijing Municipal Government Study Abroad Scholarship award. The first batch of 15 to 25 students will begin their two-year study in the fall 2015 semester.
- Allow NCUT undergraduate students to transfer to UM to seek degrees in various academic disciplines. The students will be required to meet all UM admission conditions before commencement of their studies.
- Facilitate study abroad and possible student exchange opportunities for UM students wishing to study at NCUT for international academic and cultural competencies.
- Facilitate exchange of faculty members as research and visiting scholars between the two institutions.
- Facilitate other possible international exchange and collaborative programs that are of mutual interest to both institutions as agreed upon.
- Cooperate in the further development of the two institutions as international universities.
- Broaden the experience of faculty and students of both institutions by providing them with opportunities for increased cultural understanding.
Jiaquan Xiong said following the signing that he believes the agreement can provide many long-term benefits for both universities.
“We’re very glad to sign the agreement between our universities,”Jiaquan Xiong said. “It now means we have established the formal relationship and in the future, we can develop a long, long collaborative with programs that will be beneficial to both our universities’ students and faculty members.”