UNNC kicks off '15 years of transforming lives' campaign

01 April 2019

1st April saw the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) kick off a month-long anniversary celebration with the theme ‘15 years of transforming lives’. A delegation of council members and University of Nottingham alumni visited the campus to witness the special occasion.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by University leaders, including Professor Yang Fujia, President of UNNC and Mme Xu Yafen, Chairperson of WEG (Wanli Education Group), who both played pivotal roles in establishing the University.

In her speech, Mme Xu noted that UNNC’s establishment marked the start of China’s opening up of the higher education sector. “China opened up in 1978 but the opening up of higher education came 26 years later,” she said. “Without UNNC’s establishment in 2004, this could have taken 36 years or even longer.”

President Yang Fujia commented that society’s growth demanded a variety of different types of higher education institutions, and UNNC’s establishment filled the gap that China once had in general universities.

Provost Nick Miles noted that UNNC had been broadly recognised over its 15 years of development. He explained the many milestones that UNNC had achieved, such as improving the student experience and performance, research progress and increasing support from government and the wider society.

“In 2004, UNNC was the first Sino-foreign University to open its doors in China,” he said. “Fifteen years later, we have more than 8,000 students and staff from 70 countries and a reputation for delivering excellence in education and world-leading research - of benefit to Ningbo, China and beyond.”

“As 15 years becomes 25, and 50, and beyond, we will continue to uphold the pioneering spirit that saw the establishment of the first Sino-foreign University back in 2004. And while coming together to celebrate this milestone in 2019, we also look forward to the next phase of development at UNNC with renewed energy and enthusiasm for what the future holds.”

Provost Nick Miles in the welcome session

On campus to celebrate the important milestone was also UNNC professor and current Italian Under-Secretary for Economic Development, Michele Geraci. Professor Geraci spent the morning giving a public lecture on China-Italy economic relationships.

UNNC will celebrate “15 years of transforming lives” with a series of events during April, including International Education Week, Alumni Day, Open Day and more.