On November 17, 2015, Director Frédéric Mion and Vice President Francis Vérillaud of the Paris Institute of Political Studies (French: Institut d'études politiques de Paris; also known as Sciences Po), led a delegation to PKU. The delegation also included the Director of International Affairs and Relations Capucine Edou, Officer of the Foundation of Sciences Po Pauline Labib, and Representatives of the China Office of Sciences Po Liu Huayin and Li Tingyu. Li Yansong, Vice President of PKU, received the guests at Linhuxuan, along with Fan Shiming, Deputy Dean of the School of International Studies, Dong Qiang, Dean of the French department in the School of Foreign Languages, Zheng Ruqing, Vice Director of the Office of International Relations, Ma Lan, Deputy Dean of the Division for Exchange students in the Office of International Relations, and Pang Yaran, Program Officer of the Division for Exchange Programs in the Office of International Relations.
Vice President Li first warmly welcomed the delegation and then expressed his condolences for the tragedy of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris. Director Mion described what was happening in Paris that night and genuinely hoped for international corporation to promote understanding between peoples and ease tensions.
Then Mr. Mion introduced the history and potential future development of the Université Sorbonne Paris Cité. President Mion stated that with the possibility for the extension of Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, the school would be promoting cooperative programs with foreign universities around the world rather than merely stick to the homeland.
As a member of Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, the Paris Institute of Political Studies enjoyed national recognition in France, Mr. Mion claimed, just like PKU and Tsinghua University (THU) in China. In the past decades, they had made great achievements in inter-university cooperation, research programs, and MOOC programs. More importantly, Mr. Mion showed his faith for increasing participation in the globalization of the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Therefore, further cooperation with PKU is looked forward to, especially in the areas of technology, research, the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
Vice President Li Yansong expressed his great interest in the further development of a cooperative relationship with Sciences Po. He discussed with the Deputy Dean Fan Shiming and Dong Qiang and suggested building workshops in science and the liberal arts to facilitate the exchanges of ideas between the two faculties. In addition, Deputy Dean Dong also believed that it would be greatly beneficial for interdisciplinary faculty in PKU to collaborate with the members of the Université Sorbonne Paris Cité.
Towards the end of the discussion, both sides further spoke about the details of possible collaborations in academic areas and student exchange programs.
General Background:
Université Sorbonne Paris Cité is the union of eight universities in Paris. Created in 2010, it is intended to promote the cooperation and communication in the fields of science and research among universities in Paris, which received 1 billion Euros from French government.
Written by: Li Ruoxue
Edited by: Liu Xiya
