Saint Mary’s expands cross-border education ties with China

Students in business programs at Guangzhou College, South China University of Technology (GCU) will have added opportunities to transfer to Saint Mary’s after two years and complete their degree at the Sobey School of Business.

A senior delegation from GCU was on campus this week to sign an enhanced Transfer Credit Agreement, paving the way for closer ties with one of China’s most renowned independent colleges. Executive Vice-President Zhixin Zeng, Vice-President Ying Lin, Dean of the International Business School and Director of the International Office Liguang Wu and International Office Program Coordinator Huijing Huang held a series of meetings with their counterparts at Saint Mary’s on Monday, April 15.

Mr. Zeng suggested that GCU’s visit to campus reflected the growing ties between the two universities, while Mr. Lin commented that the new Transfer Credit Agreement opened the door to exciting new possibilities for international cooperation between the two institutions.

Celebrating a Longstanding Partnership

In the years since the signing of an initial MOU in 2011, designed to foster academic and educational cooperation between Guangzhou College and Saint Mary’s, around 60 students have come to campus – some to complete their third and fourth years of their degree as part of the 2+2 agreement with the Sobey School of Business, others to take the Master of Finance Program. Many of the 25 students currently enrolled at Saint Mary’s enjoyed a dinner on Sunday hosted by their alma mater in China to celebrate the arrival of the delegation to Halifax.

Meeting with the delegation on Monday, Dr Summerby-Murray, President and Vice-Chancellor of Saint Mary’s, said that the University was committed to building on the strong foundation of academic partnership between the two universities. This week’s visit, he said, was also an important affirmation of people-to-people connections between Canada and China. As “Canada’s International University”, Saint Mary’s is proud to be recognized as a national leader in building bridges between the two countries, he said.

Guangzhou College of South China University of Technology is a large primarily undergraduate institution with more than 21,000 full-time students who can choose from 35 programs offered through 14 schools. Its 283-acre campus is located just outside Guangzhou city in China’s Pearl River Delta, home to more than 120 million people a major centre of technology and innovation.

Sino-Canadian Trade Summit at Saint Mary's

Trade experts, government officials, business executives and researchers came together on Thursday, November 16th, to discuss trade between China and Nova Scotia at Saint Mary’s University. The summit provided a platform for the exploration of trade and business relationships between Nova Scotia and China, as well as enhancing educational and cultural understanding.

Dr. Ye Jianming, Dean of the School of Management, Xiamen University, China

Minister Counsellor Xia Xang, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Canada

Centre: Honourable Tony, Nova Scotia MLA for Cole Harbour-Portland Valley

Robert Summerby-Murray, President and Vice-Chancellor, Saint Mary's University

Karen Oldfield, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority & Chair, Board of  Governors, Saint Mary’s University, with Minister and Counsellor Xia Xang, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Canada

Minister and Counsellor Xia Xang, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Canada, with Dean Pat Bradshaw, Sobey School of Business

Ian Smith, CEO at Clearwater Seafoods

Bruce Chapman, General Manager, Northern Pulp Nova Scotia with Karen Oldfield, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority & Chair, Board of  Governors, Saint Mary’s University

Maria Pan, Director, Confucius Institute at Saint Mary’s University

Kelliann Dean, Deputy Minister, Intergovernmental Affairs, Nova Scotia Government with Christine Yang, International Relations Officer, Intergovernmental Affairs, Nova Scotia Government

William Allaway, CEO and Owner, Acadian Maple Products

Dr. Stephen Jones, CEO, 4Deep

Joyce Carter, President & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority

Speakers and presenters included:

• Dr. Prof. Ye Jianmin, Dean of the School of Management, Xiamen University will attend as the designated representative of the President of Xiamen University
• Karen Oldfield, President & CEO, Halifax Port Authority
• Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President and Vice-Chancellor of Saint Mary’s University
• Joyce Carter, President & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority
• William Allaway, CEO and Owner, Acadian Maple Products
• Ian Smith, CEO, Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership
• Dr. Stephen Jones, CEO, 4Deep

 The goals of the summit were to:

• Celebrate existing trade relations between Nova Scotia and China
• Explore ways to grow bilateral trade
• Build mutual understanding and cultural appreciation across cultures

Speakers included experts in international trade, Canadian and Chinese government representatives, and local business leaders with trade experience.

The Nova Scotia Sino-Canadian Trade Summit was a partnership between Saint Mary’s University, the Confucius Institute at Saint Mary’s University, and the Sobey School of Business.

Saint Mary's Faculty of Science signs new 2+2 agreements with BNUZ

Saint Mary’s has had a partnership with Beijing Normal University (BNUZ) since 2002, encompassing a number of study abroad programs, transfer credit agreements, and a Saint Mary’s satellite campus at BNUZ.

There are 2+2 agreements in Business Science, and Arts that enable BNUZ students to complete the first two years of university study on campus at BNUZ, and to transfer to Saint Mary’s to complete the final two years of their degrees in Halifax.

Seated: Xiangdong Geng, Chair of University Council, BNUZ; Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President, SMU
Standing: Professors Hongyu Xiao and Hongshun Chen, Faculty Members, School of Information Technology, BNUZ; Dr. Malcolm Butler, VP Academic and Research, SMU; Dr. Steven Smith, Dean, Faculty of Science, SMU

On July 10, 2017, the Faculty of Science at Saint Mary’s University signed a new 2 + 2 articulation agreement with Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai.

BNUZ students can now complete the last two years of a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) with a Major in Computing Science at Saint Mary’s after successfully completing two years of required courses at BNUZ. Students graduate with a degree from Saint Mary’s University. A similar agreement for Psychology was signed on June 12 at BNUZ.

The most recent signing ceremony coincided with the BNUZ@SMU Summer Institute, an annual professional development program attended by faculty and administrators from BNUZ.

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Welcome to our BNUZ guests

Ceremony celebrates BNUZ relationship

Saint Mary's University has a long-standing relationship with Beijing Normal University – Zhuhai (BNUZ). For the past two years Saint Mary’s students have spent six weeks at Zhuhai during the summer months studying business, Chinese language and other programs.

Saint Mary’s is hosting a conference from July 16h - July 31st welcoming a delegation from BNUZ comprised of faculty and administrators for a 14-day summer institute focused on the intercultural exploration of strategies and best practices in university teaching and administration. This is the second year BNUZ has visited Saint Mary’s for this informative institute.
 
On Friday, Saint Mary’s held a tree ceremony to celebrate the university’s partnership with BNUZ.

Left to right: The Hon. Lena Diab, NS Minister of Immigration, Dr. Robert Summerby-Murrary, President of St. Mary’s University, MLA Joachim Stroink, Dr. Ailan Fu, Vice President & Provost, Beijing Normal University Zhuhai

Seven Sons Flower Tree

A member ofHoneysuckle family, this rare tree is endemic to China. It was discovered in 1907. Only nine populations are remain in the wild in Anhui and Zhejiang provinces and threatened by habitat loss but is now nationally protected. The tree grows up to 7m high and has white flowers with the fragrance of Jasmine. The nectar is appreciated by butterflies and moths. Purple-red fruits form in the autumn that have showy sepals.