Dr. Jeffrey M. Riedinger, Vice Provost for Global Affairs of the University of Washington (UW) visited Peking University (PKU) on December 9th, 2013. Dr. Riedinger was warmly welcomed by Dr. Li Yansong, Vice President of Peking University. A brief talk was held in Lin Hu Xuan.
Dr. Riedinger firstly expressed his good impression on the beautiful campus and mentioned that he had been in China for many times before but this is his first visit to China on behalf of the University of Washington. He then reviewed the former cooperation between UW and China, noting that PKU has been a friendly partner of UW in the field of medicine and chemistry. Showing particular interest in Confucius Institute, Dr. Riedinger added that broader and deeper collaboration ought to be promoted both in the area of academic research and in student exchange programs.
In response to Dr. Riedinger’s suggestions, Dr. Li highlighted the important role Confucius Institute is playing in enlarging China’s worldwide cultural influence. In addition, Dr. Li noted that PKU is now making efforts to provide every domestic student at least one opportunity to study or exchange abroad during their period of university as well as to attract more foreign students to attend exchange or degree programs in PKU. Besides, he suggested that not only exchange programs but also some other forms of cooperation like international competition is of great significance to students’ overall development.
Dr. Riedinger fully agreed with Dr. Li and further noted that this kind of project complies with the trend of the times, in which students’ comprehensive knowledge and practical skills are demanded. He also expressed his eager wish to collaborate with PKU to promote the innovation ability of universities because innovation, being a worldwide hot topic, is also the major focus of UW recently. A multiple cooperation mechanism involving wide range of education and social resources should be established in order to explore new methods of innovation according to Dr. Riedinger.
Written by: Shi Meijun
