On the afternoon of 23rd July, the first 2021 SBC Management Council Meeting was held in Room 203, the SBC administration building. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, UK Management Council members attended via video link. The Management Council members are: Cai Yonglian, Vice-President of USST, Dean of SBC; Zhang Hua, Vice-President of USST; Ma Xiaoting, Director of International Exchange Department; Diao Jiewen, Director of Finance; Gan Yi, Director of Academic Affairs Office; Dr Malcolm Butler, Director of Global Engagement of The University of Sheffield; Prof Peter Byers, Pro Vice-Chancellor from Liverpool John Moores University; Prof Jane Owen-Lynch, Pro Vice-Chancellor from the University of Huddersfield; Prof Chris Wigginton, Pro Vice-Chancellor from Sheffield Hallam University; and Prof John Brewer, CEO of NCUK. Li Yan, Secretary of General Party Branch of SBC; Prof Laura Bishop, Principal of SBC and Prof Shan Yanguang, Vice-Dean of SBC were in attendance. Ding Xiaodong, President of USST chaired the meeting.
President Ding warmly welcomed all attendants, and expressed his sincere gratitude to UK partner universities and NCUK for their endeavors and contributions. He stressed that since the last Management Council Meeting on 4th December last year, SBC had made a series of progress, and the lecturers and students of SBC had made great achievements. Under the joint efforts of both sides, SBC has overcome many difficulties. By the end of June this year, all the certification materials required by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) had been well prepared and the certification will be launched online in early November this year. In the first half of 2021, SBC completed the self-evaluation (inspection) report of Chinese-foreign cooperative institutes issued by Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China and the interim report of Shanghai first-class undergraduate professional construction in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. These preparations are crucial to enhancing the international reputation, professional construction and talent development of SBC.
Ding also pointed out that 2021 had witnessed 15th anniversary of SBC. He hoped that both sides would further leverage their respective strengths and offer suggestions for the next development of SBC as well as for the cooperation expansion of UK partner universities and USST at all levels.
Cai introduced Shan Yanguang to the Management Council members and unveiled the logo and arrangement of the 15th anniversary of SBC. Cai, on behalf of SBC, invited all partners to attend the 15th anniversary in different forms. She said that if the epidemic would ease by then, we were looking forward to welcoming all the members of Management Council to arrive, then celebrate the ceremony, discuss development plans and draw a better future together. The Management Council members expressed their heartfelt gratitude and warmly welcomed Shan. They all looked forward to promoting high-quality development of SBC with the College Executive.
Laura Bishop made a work report in the meeting and made a discussion about the development plan, project cooperation, faculty, talent development, enrolment and employment, university-enterprise cooperation and other issues with the other Management Council members. All members unanimously recognized the achievements of SBC in the first half of 2021 and expressed their sincere gratitude to the leadership and colleagues of both sides for their strong support.
This Management Council Meeting clarified the direction and objectives for the future development of SBC. SBC will take this conference as an opportunity to take the initiative to improve the overall level of education and core competitiveness and make positive contributions to making USST a first-class university of science and engineering with distinctive characteristics.
