Ten great years
Apart
from Australia, where else in the world does the University of South
Australia graduate up to 600 students a year? What is one of the most
enduring and successful relationships UniSA has internationally?
Well if you answered Hong Kong to the first question, you probably know the answer to the second – Hong Kong Baptist University – the university that UniSA has partnered in Hong Kong for a little more than a decade.
Recent celebrations of that partnership not only highlight the 2000 students who have graduated during the collaboration over the past 10 years, but also provided an occasion to renew the memorandum of understanding that underpins this highly successful collaboration.
A special afternoon tea at the Royal Garden Hotel was held on 22nd July to celebrate the beginning of a second decade of collaboration between HKBU and UniSA.
Speaking at the event UniSA President and Vice Chancellor Professor Denise Bradley said the mutual commitment from both institutions to the unique partnership was the envy of other international education providers worldwide.
“In a volatile international market influenced by dramatic world events – from currency fluctuations and infectious disease to natural diasters and threats to world peace – our relationship and success has remained robust to the benefit of both institutions,” Prof Bradley said.
“The real strength of a long term relationship between large institutions is found in the detail and in the people. Friendships have been forged between staff and students of our organisations and these relationships have been of enormous benefit to UniSA’s internationalisation objectives and to our cultural understanding of Hong Kong.”
Prof Bradley said there were many opportunities yet to be explored to
their full potential, especially in the areas of cultural exchange and
research. As an example, this year UniSA and HKBU submitted a successful
application for a Cheung Kong Student Exchange scholarship. Created under
the Australian Government’s Endeavour Program, the scholarships encourage
high quality intercultural and educational experiences for Australian and
Asian students.