From March 5th to 14th, a delegation comprising Dean Zhi Yang, Vice Dean Jianbin Li, Assistant Dean Peng Hu, and the Director of the Office for International Affairs, Antai Li, embarked on a work trip to Europe. They paid visits to EQUIS Headquarters in Belgium, KEDGE Business School, Paris-Saclay University in France, the University of Manchester, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Oxford in the UK. This European trip sets the stage for this year’s upcoming EQUIS accreditation, while also further solidifying and expanding the school’s network of partners in Europe. It lays a robust foundation for the school’s internationalization and enhances its global standing and influence.
EQUIS Accreditation
On the afternoon of March 5th, Zhi Yang led the team, which visited the Brussels EQUIS headquarters and held in-depth communication and exchanges with Professor Alfons Sauquet and Professor Yuan Ding, Director and Deputy Director of EQUIS Quality Service. During the meeting, Zhi Yang introduced the preparations our school has made for EQUIS accreditation and the three steps of our internationalization strategy, from the expansion of international partners to the construction of cooperation alliances to finally realizing global influence. The headquarters recognized the efforts we have made in preparation and internalization. The team also met with the mentor of EQUIS, the former Dean of the French Rennes School of Business, Thomas Froehlicher, and was given detailed suggestions and advice from him, who was also invited to give in-person guidance at the school on March 24th.
International Cooperation Partnership
On the morning of March 7th, Zhi Yang and the team visited KEDGE Business School (Paris) and met its Dean, Alexandre De Navailles, Vice Dean International, Santiago Garcia, and other leaders of the school. Our school has had a cooperative foundation with KEDGE Business School’s Master’s 1+1 Dual Degree Program for over 10 years. Each year, both sides send 20 students to the partner school for study, resulting in a dual degree for the students. Through this meeting, both parties have deepened their understanding and trust, agreeing to further deepen the existing master’s dual degree and exchange student programs. They have also expressed their willingness to explore the possibility of international cooperative education and to reach new heights of international cooperation between the two schools.
On the morning of March 8th, Zhi Yang and the team visited Paris-Saclay University’s School of Management, which included meetings with Professor Pascal Corbel, Dean of the School of Management; Professor Liliana Mitkova, Vice Dean International; Professor Vincent Martinet, Vice Dean for Research; and Professor Hervé Chomienne, responsible for corporate relations. Both sides discussed the concept of international educational cooperation and actively explored the possibilities of joint seminars, faculty and student exchanges, as well as undergraduate student exchange programs.
Dean Yang participated in a seminar at the School of Management focusing on the theme “Innovation and Intellectual Property: The Example of China and Collaboration with China.” He delivered an academic presentation titled “Patent Novelty and Technology Transfer in Chinese Universities.”
On the morning of March 11th, Zhi Yang visited Alliance Manchester Business School and met with Vice Dean and Head of Department of Accounting Professor Stuart Hyde, Vice Dean International Professor Joao Quariguasi Frota Net, and other leaders. The two sides reached cooperation willingness in 1+1 cooperative programs in MBA, Chinese-Foreign Cooperative Education, joint seminars, faculty exchanges and DBA programs, etc.
On the morning of March 12th, Zhi Yang led the team to visit the Business School at the University of Birmingham and met with the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Jonathan Frampton, Vice Dean for Research of the School Professor Hisman Farag, the Director of the Department of Management Professor Yufeng Zhang, and Associate Professor Yong Lin. Two sides explored the possibilities and planned for the undergraduate education 4+0 program.
On the morning of March 13th, Zhi Yang and the team visited the University of Oxford and met with Xiaolan Fu, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK, a professor at the University of Oxford’s International Development Institute, and an outstanding alumna of our university. The two sides had discussions on different topics, covering cooperation in international conferences, scientific and research cooperation, faculty visits, etc. She highly praise our school and hoped that there could be more cooperation between the two schools in the future.
This visit to Europe not only deepens our relations with the International Accreditation Organization and European universities but also consolidates and enhances the achievements we’ve made since last year’s visit. Our school will continue to uphold the concept of opening up and cooperation, enhance the exchange with international accreditation organizations and universities from abroad, cultivate high-caliber talents with global vision and competitiveness, and inject new momentum into the internationalization.
