2009 Press Releases
Chinese University President delivers lecture in UCC
05.06.2009
A further stage in the relationship between UCC and Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU) was marked recently when the President of BTBU, Professor Tan Xiangyong, was conferred with an honorary professorship by the President of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy.
05.06.2009
A further stage in the relationship between UCC and Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU) was marked recently when the President of BTBU, Professor Tan Xiangyong, was conferred with an honorary professorship by the President of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy.
The award recognises the achievements of Professor Tan, an agricultural economist who has published extensively in the area of China’s rural economy, and makes provision for him to offer guest lectures at UCC and to participate in ceremonial and other educational and cultural events at UCC. President Tan’s inaugural lecture on the topic of “Agricultural Development and Policies in China” was delivered to an audience made up of students and staff, including a large cohort of students from President Tan’s home university in Beijing who are taking programmes in the Departments of Economics and Food Science in UCC. BTBU is by now one of UCC’s most significant partners in China and some 70 students from that University are currently studying in UCC across a range of disciplines.
President Tan’s lecture focussed on the development of agricultural policy in China. In a country with an agricultural population of over 800 million people and an average farm size of just 0.5 hectares, huge progress has been made in reducing the numbers living in poverty but huge challenges still remain. President Tan’s lecture examined the challenges of maintaining food security as the Chinese diet evolves, keeping farmers’ incomes on a par with non-agricultural incomes and bridging the urban-rural divide.
Commented President Tan: “I am honoured to have been awarded an honorary professorship at UCC. Cork is now the number one destination of choice for BTBU students who wish to study overseas. I am delighted to become part of the UCC community of scholars and I know that this honour will serve to deepen the relationship between our two universities.” Dr Murphy said: “The relationship with BTBU operates at several levels, involving student mobility, staff mobility and joint research. The performance of BTBU students studying in UCC is remarkably high and President Tan’s visit has cemented the relationship still further.”
UCC is engaged in a vigorous student recruitment campaign in China and has been extremely successful to date in attracting high quality students to its programmes. UCC is unique in the Irish system for the manner in which it has successfully targeted specific Chinese universities to engage in “split” degree programmes whereby students take the first two years of the degree programme in their home university in China, followed by two years in UCC. The majority of these students are remaining in UCC for postgraduate studies. Further information on UCC’s international programmes is available at http://www.ucc.ie/international
Photograph shows: UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy and Professor Tan Xiangyong in the Quadrangle, UCC
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President Tan’s lecture focussed on the development of agricultural policy in China. In a country with an agricultural population of over 800 million people and an average farm size of just 0.5 hectares, huge progress has been made in reducing the numbers living in poverty but huge challenges still remain. President Tan’s lecture examined the challenges of maintaining food security as the Chinese diet evolves, keeping farmers’ incomes on a par with non-agricultural incomes and bridging the urban-rural divide.
Commented President Tan: “I am honoured to have been awarded an honorary professorship at UCC. Cork is now the number one destination of choice for BTBU students who wish to study overseas. I am delighted to become part of the UCC community of scholars and I know that this honour will serve to deepen the relationship between our two universities.” Dr Murphy said: “The relationship with BTBU operates at several levels, involving student mobility, staff mobility and joint research. The performance of BTBU students studying in UCC is remarkably high and President Tan’s visit has cemented the relationship still further.”
UCC is engaged in a vigorous student recruitment campaign in China and has been extremely successful to date in attracting high quality students to its programmes. UCC is unique in the Irish system for the manner in which it has successfully targeted specific Chinese universities to engage in “split” degree programmes whereby students take the first two years of the degree programme in their home university in China, followed by two years in UCC. The majority of these students are remaining in UCC for postgraduate studies. Further information on UCC’s international programmes is available at http://www.ucc.ie/international
Photograph shows: UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy and Professor Tan Xiangyong in the Quadrangle, UCC
1132MMcS