Welsh university forging links with counterpart in China

WALES’ smallest university has signed a new partnership with a university in China that will see art and design students studying overseas.

Glyndwr University and Tonghua Normal University have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) which will see art and design students spend two years in China’s Jilin Province before transferring to Wrexham for their final year.

Lecturers from both organisations will visit each other’s campuses to deliver academic modules, fulfil staff development needs and improve programme content.

Suzanne Riley, Glyndwr’s external relations manager, said the university’s burgeoning relationship with Tonghua City will be of huge benefit moving forward.

She said: “The university, in par- ticular the School of Creative Arts, has a long-standing relationship with Chinese institutions and has always attracted students from the country due to the tradition and pedigree of the North Wales School of Art and Design and other key subject areas.

“Working with Tonghua University, we will see lecturers from Wrexham travel there to teach cohorts and vice-versa, further strengthening this connection and building new programmes and partnerships we can capitalise on together in the future.”

During her most recent trip to the Far East, Ms Riley and head of marketing, recruitment and admissions, Julie Cowley, met with the presidents of Tonghua University and Guangxi Normal University and engaged with prospective new partners including the British Council and UKTI.

They explored opportunities to grow existing partnership provision; support and expand student recruitment; and forge new relationships in the Chinese and Hong Kong markets.

Tonghua University has more than 12,000 students and 536 professors.