While a recent delegation to China and Hong Kong helped explore new opportunities for learning and collaboration it also allowed Queen’s University to strengthen and build upon existing ties with its partner institutions.

The delegation, led by Principal Daniel Woolf and Provost Alan Harrison, travelled to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from March 13-18 and met with officials from Tongji, Fudan and Beijing Normal universities as well as the Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, the Ministry of Education and the China Scholarship Council.

What became clear during the meetings, says Associate Vice-Principal (International) Kathy O'Brien, is that Queen’s and its partners in China have similar interests in deepening existing relationships and increasing the exchange opportunities for students and faculty. The talks emphasized the importance of reciprocity in the partnerships and also highlighted the importance of sharing expertise around the development of learning outcomes, program evaluation/assessment, and teaching methodologies that provide students with an enhanced learning experience.

“Our goal on these trips is to ensure that we have actionable outcomes to advance the key performance indicators in the Comprehensive International Plan.  This can only be accomplished through the dedication and efforts of faculty members in the departments,” Ms. O’Brien says. “Queen’s has created a solid foundation in the region over the past decade and these agreements are building upon that foundation. One of the key goals for the delegation was to strengthen the university’s reputation and all of these meetings went a long way to accomplishing that goal.”

The trip also provided delegation members the opportunity to connect with Queen’s alumni and students currently on exchange in Asia, as well as prospective students and their families. As part of the Beijing alumni reception, Principal Woolf was presented with a cheque from members of the Beijing alumni leadership to endow a fund that will support student mobility between China and Queen’s.

Among the signings were two new agreements to allow undergraduate students from Beijing Normal University to study with the Department of Biology as well as the renewal of the Fudan-Queen’s Semester in Shanghai program and the China Scholarship Council program to fund research by Chinese doctoral students at Queen’s.

Queen’s Comprehensive International Plan identifies China and Hong Kong as a priority region for developing academic and research partnerships, and for student recruitment. In 2007, Queen’s became the first Canadian university to establish an office in China – the Queen’s China Liaison Office located at Fudan University in Shanghai – with the aim of building relations with partner institutions, prospective students and alumni.

Queen’s unveiled its Comprehensive International Plan in August 2015 with the aim of strengthening the university’s international research engagement and creating more opportunities for student mobility through programs like academic exchange programs. The plan also aims to attract high-quality international students to Queen’s and to increase international educational opportunities at Queen’s.

In 2014, Queen’s launched a Chinese webpage to strengthen the university’s connections with prospective students.