Meeting with Dr. Duane Nellis, President of Texas Tech University (TTU) and Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, Deputy Provost of the TTU
From December 13 to 19, Wang Cheng, President of Lanzhou University (LZU) visited the universities and institutes including the Texas Tech University (TTU) and the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside), Hu’s Education Foundation and LZU Foundation at the U.S. and signed cooperation agreements with them. Heads of the Dean’s Office, the Center for Studies of Ethnic Minorities in Northwest China, the Principal’s Office and the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange attended the visits.
Signing Cooperation Memorandum with Dr. Duane Nellis, President of the TTU
Wang Cheng, together with the LZU delegation, had meetings with Dr. Duan Nellis, the President of the TTU, Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, the deputy provost of the TTU, Mr. Al Sacco Jr, the astronaut of space shuttle Columbia and dean of the College of Engineering and deans of several other colleges of the TTU. The two parties had a review over their cooperation in such areas as personnel exchange and scientific research over the past more than ten years and gave high evaluation to the effective cooperation between the School of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology of the LZU and College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources of the TTU. Wang Cheng referred that establishing world-class universities and disciplines had been the goal for the higher education in China and also for the LZU. Practical high-level cooperation with the TTU, a world-class university with world-class disciplines, would be an important step towards internationalization for the LZU. The LZU extended wishes in inviting the TTU teachers to teach at the LZU, introducing outstanding teaching resources and jointly establishing research centers, so as to extend their cooperation in the areas of chemistry, pastoral agriculture science, geography, life sciences, physical science and so on. Nellis referred that the LZU was the TTU’s preferred partner for cooperation and Mr. Wang Cheng’s visit represented that the LZU paid great attention to the academic cooperation between the LZU and the TTU. The two parties reached agreements in the areas of jointly establishing the Confucius Institute, long- and short-term student exchange program, jointly establishing joint research centers (such as the climate change research center), inviting recommended teachers of the TTU as the guest teacher and cooperating in running schools in civil aviation (airport construction and maintenance) and petroleum chemical engineering. After the meeting, Wang Cheng and Nellis signed the LZU-TTU Cooperation Memorandum on representative of the two universities.
Appointing Professor Satya N. Atluri as the “Honorary Professor” of the LZU
During the visit, Wang Cheng appointed Professor Satya N. Atluri from the College of Engineering of the TTU as the “honorary professor” of the LZU. Professor Atluri is the founder of the International Conference on Computational and Experimental Engineering and Sciences (ICCES) and academician of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Third World Academy of Sciences, the European Union Academy of Sciences and the Ukraine Academy of Sciences. He actively enhanced the cooperation between the TTU and the LZU.
During the visit, the LZU delegation had a meeting with the Chinese professors and staff of the TTU, encouraging them to have exchanges, deliver lectures, cooperate in researches and jointly establish academic exchange platform with the LZU, so as to enhance the personnel exchange and cooperation between the U.S. and China. The delegation also visited the LZU exchange students studying at the TTU.
LZU Delegation and the Chinese Professors and Staff of the TTU
At the UC Riverside, the LZU delegation had meetings with Kim A. Wilcox, President of the UC Riverside, Dr. Kelechi A. Kalu, deputy provost of the university, Dr. Reza Abbaschian, Dean of the College of Engineering and others. Wang Cheng referred that the UC Riverside had became a leading university under world academic indicators and ranking after decades of development, which had set a good example for the LZU. The two universities resemble a lot in geographical environment and advantage disciplines, the LZU delegation wished the two universities could strengthen point-to-point substantial cooperation in the areas of chemical engineering, environmental science, material science, computer science and so on and jointly apply for major international scientific research programs. The delegation also invited the teachers of the UC Riverside to teach at the LZU during holidays. Wilcox was delighted to establish cooperation with the LZU and wished the teachers to cooperate in interesting scientific research areas and jointly establish research centers such as the chemical research center on environment, especially on the air pollution control. Wilcox suggested the teachers of the UC Riverside to teach at the LZU during holidays and bring the students along to study and practice at the LZU. He highly recommended the visiting and joint training programs of young teachers, undergraduates and graduate students. After the meeting, Wang Cheng and Wilcox signed the LZU-UC Riverside Cooperation Memorandum on representative of the two universities. The LZU delegation and Dr. Reza Abbaschian, dean of the College of Engineering of the UC Riverside sighed the LZU-College of Engineering, UC Riverside Student Exchange Agreement on representative of the two universities.
LZU Delegation Visited LZU Exchange Students Studying at the TTU
Meeting with Mr. Kim A. Wilcox and Dr. Kelechi A. Kalu, President and Deputy Provost of the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside)
Meeting with Reza Abbaschian, Dean of Bourns College of Engineering of the UC Riverside
Signing Cooperation Memorandum with Kim A. Wilcox, President of the UC Riverside
Presenting Ms. Hu Yvjin the Growth Record of the Aided LZU Students
LZU Delegation, the Hu’s Education Foundation and LZU Foundation at the U.S.
During the meeting with the Hu’s Education Foundation, Ms. Hu Yvjin, the president of the Hu’s Education Foundation and the adviser to the LZU Foundation at the U.S reviewed over the founding background and status quo of the Hu’s Education Foundation. Wang Cheng expressed appreciation to the Hu’s family for paying attention to the education in western China and funding poor students of the universities in western China. He made a detailed introduction to the Hu’s Education Foundation and the LZU Foundation at the U.S. on the introduction of talents and asset and the development of the LZU, especially in the cultivation of students. Despite that the LZU is the university under the 985 program with the most poverty-stricken students, the students and teachers of the LZU follow the traditional self-improving, diligent and truth-seeking spirit, which won the graduates from the LZU a good reputation from both at home and abroad. Currently, in order to improve the cultivation system of talents, the LZU is working on improving the cultivation of the students’ qualities. The LZU wishes to improve the mechanism of scholarship and grants and enhance the cultivation of talents with international vision, sense of national belonging and strong competitiveness through comprehensive means of work-study program, awarding the outstanding students and encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship and so on. His proposal aroused strong resonance among the participants and Ms. Hu Yvjin actively supported the proposal.
(Translated by Wei Xianchao; proofread by Sissi Xu)
