2005 Press Releases
UCC and University College Dublin (UCD) announce National Institute for Chinese Studies
The Presidents of UCC and UCD, in an exciting new partnership venture, have announced that their two universities are to co-operate in the establishment of a National Institute for Chinese Studies. Both Universities will establish Centres to develop a range of courses and degree programmes designed to offer a knowledge and understanding of Chinese language, culture, society, values and traditions. These programmes will be offered in both UCC and UCD for the benefit, not only of students at these universities, but also the wider community. The Institute will also provide consultancy facilities to both the public and private sector in Ireland. The aim is to create stronger educational, cultural and commercial links between Ireland and China.
The proposed Institute will constitute one of the most innovative developments within the Irish University system in recent years. It will open up to the Irish population a six thousand year old civilisation that has survived largely intact in the most populous country in the world. The benefits from this association with one of the world?s great civilisations in terms of language, the arts, social issues, medicine, and many other spheres are potentially enormous. It symbolises the global coming of age of the Irish University system.
Irish students will have the opportunity to study a new and challenging range of subjects from the most exciting and rapidly developing area of the world economy. A core element offered by each university will be courses in Chinese language and culture. Linguistic skills will be developed by a period of study in China. Each university will develop a range of course in its own specialist areas including subjects such as business, computer science, regional development, historical and cultural studies, international relations, law and social policy. Students will be able to choose from an extensive range of courses available in both Universities.
The Centres will also contribute to the internationalisation of the student body through a programme of structured recruitment of undergraduate and postgraduate students as a result of partnerships agreements to be concluded with leading Chinese universities. Chinese students who come to UCC and UCD to study will now also be able to participate in an international educational experience in which Irish and Chinese students learn from each other as well as from their formal teaching.
These programmes will be developed in the next twelve months and the National Institute will open in 2006. This development will form part of a series of initiatives undertaken by both UCC and UCD to build upon their already extensive commitment to international education and to create a modern, 21st century University in which Irish students come into contact with and learn alongside students from all over the world.
In response to the recent invitation from the Minister for Education and Science for proposals to develop Chinese Studies, both Universities will co-operate in submitting a joint proposal. The start of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster, is an auspicious time to announce this collaboration between UCC and UCD and between Ireland and China.
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