UNE awards for academic excellence and leadership in China
Friday, December 12th, 2008
More than 300 people, including students, parents and teachers, attended a UNE awards ceremony at Wuxi South Ocean College in Jiangsu Province, China, this week.
UNE’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Webb, and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of The Professions, Professor Victor Minichiello, presented nine awards to Chinese students of the College.
In his speech at the ceremony, Professor Webb said that the awards “acknowledge high-achieving students of Wuxi South Ocean College who by their hard work and application have achieved top results in their academic studies, as well as those students who have shown outstanding leadership qualities”. Awards of excellence were also presented to seven students currently enrolled in the English language program.
A pathway program between UNE and Wuxi South Ocean College allows Wuxi students to undertake 2-2.5 years of study at the College (including English language studies) and then transfer with advanced standing into a Bachelor of Business degree program for their final 1.5-2 years of study.
Numbers of students in the pathway program have steadily increased since it began in 2005. “This year we received 180 new students for the UNE program, and the demand for students wanting to study at UNE is growing,” said President Zeng of Wuxi South Ocean College . In 2008, 119 students were studying at UNE as part of the program.
Professor Webb noted that the Chinese Government had praised the innovative pathway program as part of its recent review.
Speaking on behalf of the students accepting the awards, Yin Xue Jiao, who received the Top Female Leadership Award, expressed her gratitude by saying that she had experienced a stimulating and encouraging environment in which to study and that “the academic staff were supportive, and offered guidance and help whenever we needed it”. She also thanked parents for supporting students to continue their studies abroad and for “making their dreams come true”.
THE PHOTOGRAPH of awards displayed here expands to show the recipients with Professor Graham Webb and Professor Victor Minichiello (back row, centre), President Zeng (between and in front of them) and academic staff from Wuxi South Ocean College.