Reported by: WANG Yin
Translated by: WEI Hongjia
Edited by: Patti Broderick
Updated: 2012-3-28
March 15th, more than 150 people from both China and Ireland’s education, scientific and technological sectors joined Ciarán Cannon, Irish Minister of State for Training and Skills, at the China-Ireland Education Sector Breakfast meeting in Beijing. Vice President ZHOU Yu and Assistant to the President XU Xiaofei represented Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). FAN Hongbo, Director of HIT’s International Office and LI Haifeng, Dean of HIT’s Honors School, and other delegation members participated in related activities.
ZHOU renewed the HIT-Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of Minister Cannon, Irish Ambassador to China, Declan Kelleher, and Irish Education Department officials. According to the Memorandum, both parties will engage even more broadly within the parameters of the HIT-DIT Joint Program in Software Engineering by launching an Undergraduate Short-Term Exchange Program, in addition to the already successful Two-Plus-Two Joint Degree Program.
Dublin Institute of Technology, established in 1887, enjoys a long history and exceptionally high reputation in scientific research and higher education, particularly in preparing graduates for industry. HIT has cooperated with DIT for over a decade, during which more than 100 HIT students earned DIT degrees, approximately 100 teachers studied at DIT, and DIT teachers offered more than 100 lectures at HIT.
Currently, the Chairman of the Irish Federation of Chinese Students and the Chairman of The Chinese Scholars Association in Ireland are both alumni of the HIT-DIT Joint Program. In 2010, the President of Ireland awarded YANG Tiedong, an HIT graduate, the Golden Challenge Award – Ireland’s highest award for outstanding students. In 2003, HIT awarded Irish President Mrs. Mary McAleese an honorary doctorate – the first foreign leader in office to ever be so honored by HIT. In 2005, DIT awarded HIT President WANG Shuguo an honorary doctorate as well.
Minister Cannon and Ambassador Declan spoke highly of HIT and DIT’s long history of cooperation, saying it was an outstanding model of Sino-Irish educational cooperation. They committed to actively promoting the smooth development of HIT and DIT’s joint education programs, and supporting deeper cooperation among HIT and DIT teachers, students and researchers.
DIT Asian Affairs Director Wu Bing (front left) exchanges the renewed HIT-DIT Memorandum of Understanding with HIT Vice President ZHOU Yu (front right). Ciarán Cannon, Irish Minister of State for Training and Skills looks on (middle back).
(L-R) DIT Asian Affairs Director Wu Bing, HIT Vice President ZHOU Yu, Irish Ambassador to China Declan Kelleher, and Assistant to the President XU Xiaofei.
