The 2013 SBC Undergraduate Open Day was held successfully on Saturday 15 June. Despite the rain in the morning, nearly 400 students and parents from all over China and abroad visited the campus. Guests representing educational authorities and SBC’s corporate partners were also invited to take part in the annual event.
The SBC Open Day is designed to give prospective students and their parents first-hand experience of the ‘Britishness’ of SBC, and the British way of teaching and learning in an international campus environment: a unique combination of one Chinese university and nine British universities.
Representing members of the newly announced SBC’s Key National Bases for Talented High School Graduates, Professor He Dongtao, Party Secretary of Hangzhou No. 2 High School, one of the most renowned key high schools in China, was invited to attend and speak at the Open Day.
Other distinguished guests included representatives from well-known companies and organisations such as KPMG, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China and MMI Shanghai, amongst others.
At the welcome ceremony, Professor Ian Gow OBE, Principal and CEO extended his warmest greetings to visitors on behalf of the SBC team. Professor Gow said in his speech that the SBC offered students an international learning experience with high quality of teaching, delivered by a highly qualified academic team. He said, “The right learning experience is vital to this generation if they are to survive and to succeed in the increasingly competitive rapidly changing global world in China and outside of China.”
Following Professor Gow’s welcome speech, introductory talks on academic subjects and degrees were given by Hannah Jones, Deputy Head of the Centre of EAP, Andy Ritchie, Assistant Director of the School of Business and Communication (Teaching & Learning), and Dr. Gareth Lewis, Acting Director of the School of Engineering. One Chinese student and one international student from Ukraine also shared their student experience at SBC with the audience.
2013’s Open Day event aimed to display the international nature, educational resources and recent progress of SBC. During the group campus tour, all visitors were invited to witness the full range of campus facilities and enjoy a variety of displays and campus activities. The two public lectures on British education and culture and nine demo seminars on various academic subjects were all very well received by prospective students and parents. In addition, the SBC Football Club offered a special football demo class which attracted many visitors.
An important highlight of the Open Day event was the interpreting and other assistance provided by SBC Student Ambassadors. The linguistic skills and professionalism they showed earned the respect and admiration of Open Day visitors.
