- University of Nottingham Ningbo, China
Infobox University
established = 2004
type = Public
name = The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China
native_name = 宁波诺丁汉大学
nick name = UNNC
chancellor = Professor Fujia Yang
vice_chancellor = Sir Colin Campbell
chairperson = Yafen Xu (徐亚芬)
provost = Professor Peter Buttery
head_label = CEO
head = Professor Peter Buttery
vice_president = Professor Roger Woods
city =Ningbo
province =Zhejiang
country =China
coor = coord|29.8022|121.5592|scale:5000_type:edu_region:CN-33|display=inline,title
students = 2,000cite web |url=http://www.nottingham.edu.cn/content.php?c=1|title=The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China » About The University|accessdate=2007-09-01]
other = 100 international/exchange
staff = 90
affiliations =University of Nottingham Zhejiang Wanli University
campus = 146 acres
website = http://www.nottingham.edu.cn/
address = 199 Taikang East Road Ningbo, 315100 P R China 中国宁波泰康东路199号 邮编315100
publictransit =
telephone = +86 574 8818 0000The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China (UNNC) is a
campus of theUniversity of Nottingham ,England situated in the coastal city ofNingbo inZhejiang province, nearShanghai .The campus is a joint venture partnership with the Wanli Education Group. It is the first Sino-Foreign university in China with approval from the Chinese Ministry of Education.
About the University
History
The university admitted its first students in 2004, for Arts and Social Science subjects. The university's 146 acre (591,333 m²) campus, was launched on 6 September 2005 by the then British Prime Minister
Tony Blair fromBeijing in a broadcast forChina Central Television . It was officially opened on 23 February 2005 by British Deputy Prime MinisterJohn Prescott , in the presence of Chinese education ministerZhou Ji and State CounsellorChen Zhili .The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China is sponsored by the City of Ningbo, run by the University of Nottingham UK with cooperation from Zhejiang Wanli University. It is the first Sino-Foreign university in China with approval from the Chinese Ministry of Education. The President of the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China is Professor Yang Fujia, a distinguished academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former President of Fudan University, and the Provost is Professor Peter Buttery. Professor Buttery succeeded the founding Provost, Professor Ian Gow, in January 2007.
The University is located in Ningbo Higher Education Park with a land area of 887mu and building area of 180,000m². Currently, it has nearly 3,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and more than 200 teaching and administrative staff from all over the world.
Our mission statement is "Academic Excellence in the Service of Global Citizenship", and this means that the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China has committed itself to developing subjects that combine internationally ranked teaching and research excellence at the University of Nottingham UK with Chinese needs for internationalisation and globalisation. This allows Chinese students to enjoy a world-class international education without the major expense of studying abroad. All undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Ningbo are conducted entirely in English with the same teaching and evaluation standards as at Nottingham UK.
Currently, there are seven academic divisions at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. They are the Division of International Business, the Division of International Communications the Division of International Studies, the Division of Computer Science, the Division of Sustainable Development, and the Division of English Studies. A new division, Engineering is currently being developed. The University also has six research institutes: the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, the Institute for Comparative Cultural Studies, the Centre for Research in Applied Linguistics, the Centre for Sustainable Energy Technology, and the Centre for Global Finance, and Learning Science Research Centre.
Internationalisation is at the heart of the development of the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China: we have a growing international teaching team as well as an increasingly international student body. The University now has teaching staff from 12 different countries and over 100 full-time/exchange international students from more than 30 countries. In the longer term 25%of the student population will be international. Our internationalisation policy also means that all students have the opportunity to study at the University of Nottingham UK or to go as exchange or study abroad students to study at other top universities around the world.
Nottingham and China
As well as establishing bilateral links with some 60 Chinese universities, The University of Nottingham has formal student exchange agreements and joint research projects with most of China's top universities. This includes institutions within the Universitas 21 alliance of leading international universities, such as Fudan and Shanghai Jiao Tong.
The University of Nottingham recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fudan University to create a ‘Confucius Institute' in Nottingham. It is dedicated to the deepening and expansion of existing links with schools, business, government, community groups and the Chinese cultural community to promote the teaching of Chinese language and contemporary Chinese culture.
The Confucius Institute will also promote academic links with Chinese universities and showcase contemporary Chinese popular art and media, including films, television programmes and the creative arts such as painting, photography, literature, music and the performing arts.
The University of Nottingham has teaching and research links with China in fields as diverse as satellite technology, the environment, education and law. Nottingham, along with other UK universities, has not only experienced an increase in its research activity with Chinese universities but it has also seen a huge increase in the number of Chinese students wishing to study in the UK. The Chinese student population at Nottingham in the UK has grown from 80 in 1999 to more than 1,100 today.
In addition to the Chinese students coming to Nottingham, more than 1,400 students from the UK and around the world are taking courses about contemporary China in the University's new School of Contemporary Chinese Studies. The School enables students to take a range of 'with Chinese Studies' degrees, for example Management with Chinese. Most recently courses have been established in Mathematics with Chinese Studies, and Electronic and Electrical Engineering with Chinese Studies.
In 2004, Madame Chen Zhili, Councillor of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and former Education Minister, agreed to launch the China Policy Institute, a policy-oriented think-tank which produces top-quality research and policy papers on selected topics to help build a more informed dialogue between China and the UK and to guide government and business strategies. More recently, Professor LuYongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, came to Nottingham where he was awarded an honorary degree and gave a keynote speech to a University conference on Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Madame Chen Zhili, Councillor of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and former Education Minister received her honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Nottingham in 2003.
The University made its most significant decision in terms of developing its international strategy when it appointed Professor Yang Fujia as the sixth Chancellor of the University. He was, and remains, the first Chinese Chancellor of a British University. Professor Yang has been invaluable in terms of advising the University on its links and helping it to understand the changes taking place in modern China.
The University has also established a major scholarship programme with Hunan University. It also has a joint appointment with Tsinghua University, Beijing, focusing on international collaboration, and is working on various e-learning initiatives with Chinese institutions. The University of Nottingham's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Colin Campbell, has been awarded Honorary Citizenship of the city of Ningbo and recently received an Honorary Doctorate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Economic development agencies within the United Kingdom are now based at the campus of The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. The City of Nottingham is twinned with the City of Ningbo, and there are well established cultural and community projects enriching lives in both England and China. Welbeck Primary School in Nottingham, for example, has recently established a link with Jiangdong Central Primary school in Ningbo, China, along with five other Nottingham schools. Students from Ningbo visiting the UK for study now undertake volunteering work within local schools, helping to widen appreciation of Chinese culture and lifestyle.
Academic Leaders
The UNNC president and vice-president are Professors
Fujia Yang (杨福家) and Roger Woods respectively, with Professor Peter Buttery holding the title of provost.tudy Programmes
The study programme that available now is including:First year programme, International Business, International Communications,International Studies, Computer Science, English Studies, Engineering, Sustainable Development.
First year programme
The overall aim of the Year One Programme is to help students succeed in their future studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. The programme equips students with the language and study skills that they need to manage their studies independently and to meet the demands of their future academic course.To achieve this aim, they need to be able to use English in a wide range of academic situations. In their future courses, for example, they will have to read textbooks and journals, listen to lectures and make notes on what they have read or heard. They must then be able to use this information to write assignments and discuss their subject with teaching staff and other students.The Year One Programme is organised to help them achieve these goals. The academic English language courses are provided by the Centre for English Language Education (CELE) and the content courses are organised by lecturers from various academic departments within UNNC. The Year One Programme is divided into two semesters. The Introduction to English at UNNC module is non-credit bearing and is intended to be an intensive introduction to academic English and studying in an English-speaking environment. All other modules in semesters one and two are credit-bearing and students study a combination of academic English courses and content courses which are designed to develop the specific language and study skills you will need for your future degree course.Courses
UG Year1 Programme
The overall aim of the Year One Programme is to help students succeed in their future studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. The programme equips students with the language and study skills that they need to manage their studies independently and to meet the demands of their future academic course. To achieve this aim, they need to be able to use English in a wide range of academic situations. In their future courses, for example, they will have to read textbooks and journals, listen to lectures and make notes on what they have read or heard. They must then be able to use this information to write assignments and discuss their subject with teaching staff and other students. The Year One Programme is organised to help them achieve these goals. The academic English language courses are provided by the Centre for English Language Education (CELE) and the content courses are organised by lecturers from various academic departments within UNNC. The Year One Programme is divided into two semesters. The Introduction to English at UNNC module is non-credit bearing and is intended to be an intensive introduction to academic English and studying in an English-speaking environment. All other modules in semesters one and two are credit-bearing and students study a combination of academic English courses and content courses which are designed to develop the specific language and study skills you will need for your future degree course.
PG Premaster Programme
The overall aim of the Year One Programme is to help students succeed in their future studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China. The programme equips students with the language and study skills that they need to manage their studies independently and to meet the demands of their future academic course. To achieve this aim, they need to be able to use English in a wide range of academic situations. In their future courses, for example, they will have to read textbooks and journals, listen to lectures and make notes on what they have read or heard. They must then be able to use this information to write assignments and discuss their subject with teaching staff and other students. The Year One Programme is organised to help them achieve these goals. The academic English language courses are provided by the Centre for English Language Education (CELE) and the content courses are organised by lecturers from various academic departments within UNNC. The Year One Programme is divided into two semesters. The Introduction to English at UNNC module is non-credit bearing and is intended to be an intensive introduction to academic English and studying in an English-speaking environment. All other modules in semesters one and two are credit-bearing and students study a combination of academic English courses and content courses which are designed to develop the specific language and study skills you will need for your future degree course.
International Business
Postgraduate
MSc International Business MA International Management MA Finance and Investment
Undergraduate
BA (Hons) International Business Management BA (Hons) Finance Accounting and Management BA (Hons) International Business Economics BA (Hons) International Business with French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese BA (Hons) International Business with Communications Studies BA (Hons) International Business with European Studies
International Communications
Postgraduate
MA International Communications Studies MA Contemporary Chinese Studies MA Interpreting and Translation, Mandarin and English
Undergraduate
BA (Hons) International Communications Studies BA (Hons) International Communications Studies with Chinese
International Studies
Postgraduate
MA Global Governance
Undergraduate
BA (Hons) International Studies BA (Hons) European Studies BA (Hons) International Studies with Spanish/German/French/Japanese/Chinese
Computer Science
Undergraduate
BSc (Hons) Computer Science (2+2)
Undergraduate
BSc (Hons) Computer Science and Management （2+2）
English Studies
Postgraduate
MA Applied Linguistics MA Applied Linguistics and English Language Teaching MA World Englishes
Undergraduate
BA (Hons) English Language and Applied Linguistics BA (Hons) English Language and Literature
Engineering
Undergraduate
BEng Civil Engineering BEng Environmental Engineering BEng Mechanical Engineering
ustainable Development
Undergraduate
BEng(Hons) Architectural Environment Engineering (2+2)
Ph.D
PhD Sustainable Energy/Building Technologies
Controversy
UNNC has attracted much controversy since its opening. As the first joint-venture University in China, the ambiguous status of many issues, such as religious freedom, freedom on speech and academic freedom on campus, have not been explicitly dealt with by the management because of their sensitive nature. This has caused several small crises when the behaviour of members of staff or students does not comply with Chinese standards for conduct, but would be acceptable at most Universities in the UK. This is due to the school's special status in China and the opposing values of both sides of the voint venture.
Academic Freedom
Additionally, the academic freedom of teachers and students has frequently been questioned. Certain issues sensitive to the Communist Party, such as Tibet and Taiwan, are generally discouraged from being discussed in classrooms settings by several of the school's divisions. Also, students have expressed concern about several of their textbooks, including the basic textbook for the First-Year and Pre-Master program, Global Issues by John L. Seitz, for discussing issues such as the
status of Taiwan and the1989 Tiananmen Square Incident .International vs. Chinese Students
The way in which students are categorized, as either "International" or "local," has also drawn fire, for students coming from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are considered "international" just as students from Russia or Japan.
CCP Activities, Student Affairs and Wanli
The activities of the
Chinese Communist Party on campus, especially through the CCP-run Student Affairs, has also caused consternation from Chinese and international students alike. As the Student Affairs office conducts their business in the same way as a Chinese university, many activities, such as Student Union meetings, are often held exclusively in Chinese, thereby prohibiting non-Chinese speaking students from participation. Also, as many Chinese students need to participate in Student Affairs events and activities as part of their initiation into the CCP, such activities and events actively exclude international students from participating, as they cannot enter the CCP. This is generally viewed as a major cause for the lack of integration of the students, as well as being discriminatory practice. However, advancements have been made in public events, such as concerts and parties, which are now held in a mix of English and Chinese. Additionally, as Student Affairs is part ofWanli Education Group who also run the logistics on campus, there have been several accusations of collusion between Student Affairs and Wanli over the price of accommodations for students, including a lack of standards and the arbitrary assignation of special accommodation based on the students personal relationship with Student Affairs staff. This is coupled with a general concern by students and staff about the granting of retail contracts to friends and relatives of Wanli officers and the general lack of competition for on-campus businesses that ensues, causing cafeteria prices to be the highest of any University in Ningbo.Agora Report
In the December 2007, former Provost
Ian Gow published an article in the discussion paper titled ‘British Universities in China: The Reality Beyond the Rhetoric,’ byAgora [http://www.agora-education.org/pubs/index.php] . The article, drawing on his experience as founding Provost of UNNC, urged British Universities to take off their “Rose-coloured gasses” when considering cooperating with Chinese universities, and warned of the growing power that China would have in the education sector in the future. It also exposed some racist policies of the Chinese government when negotiating for the opening of the school, such as a general tendency to prefer non-Chinese, foreign-looking academics to work at the campus.The article was negatively perceived by University of Nottingham management, and a statement was issued by Vice-ChancellorColin Campbell distancing the university from Prof. Gow’s position, criticizing an article by the Guardian [http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/worldwide/story/0,,2223094,00.html] for a misleading assessment of Prof. Gow’s article, and defending the University’s partner,Wanli Education Group . Another reposnse was subsequently published in the Guardian [http://education.guardian.co.uk/higherfeedback/story/0,,2224010,00.html] .ee also
*
University of Nottingham References
External links
* [http://www.nottingham.edu.cn/ University of Nottingham Ningbo, China website]
* [http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ University of Nottingham Nottingham, England website]
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