From September 14 to 15, 2025, Mr. Sheng Mingke, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology (HUHST) and President of HUHST, led a delegation on a visit to the United Kingdom. The delegation visited Bath Spa University (BSU) and Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. The visit aimed to deepen cooperation with BSU in the joint education programme, and to learn from UK institutions’ advanced practices in discipline development, talent cultivation, and the building of a high-calibre university culture. Members of the delegation also included the heads of the School of Energy and Electromechanical Engineering, the School of Physical Education, the School of Education, and the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange.
The Delegation Meets with the Vice-Chancellor of BSU
Group Photo of the Delegation with Representatives of BSU
At BSU, the delegation held talks with Vice-Chancellor Georgina Andrews, Pro Vice-Chancellor Simon Haslett, Pro Vice-Chancellor John Strachan, the Head of International Recruitment and Partnerships, and the Head of the School of Education. During the meeting, the BSU leadership extended a warm welcome to the HUHST delegation, provided a detailed introduction to the university, and highlighted its strong traditions in education and the humanities. Both sides expressed a strong desire to deepen their collaboration under the joint education programme. President Sheng Mingke introduced HUHST’s innovations and reforms in the programme, including teaching arrangements, internship placements, student recruitment, and graduate employment. The two sides also reviewed the main achievements of their ten-year partnership and held in-depth discussions on student exchanges, curriculum development, research collaboration, digital learning, and cultural exchange within the framework of the joint education programme. They outlined concrete steps for programme implementation, the sharing of teaching resources, and the cooperation agenda for the next decade, reaching consensus on several key points. At the meeting, the two universities signed a new agreement on the joint education programme.
Signing of the Cooperation Agreement between BSU and HUHST
After the meeting, President Sheng Mingke also held a discussion with HUHST students currently studying at BSU, inquiring about their studies and life there, and encouraging them to study hard and build solid professional expertise.
The Delegation Meets with HUHST Students Studying at BSU
At the London campus of BSU, the delegation took an in-depth look at its educational model, curriculum design, teaching facilities, and practices in industry–education integration, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship education, offering useful insights for relevant schools at HUHST in promoting industry–academia–research collaboration and innovation education. During the visit, President Sheng Mingke also met with an alumna, Ms Li Xiaoke, who is working in the UK, and encouraged her to leverage overseas resources to help attract investment and talent to Hunan and to serve as a bridge for international cooperation in education.
At Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, the delegation held talks with Prof. Szymon and representatives of the school, exchanging views on innovative models for training management. They focused in particular on how to better coordinate teaching resources and advance IT-enabled administration to improve the efficiency of teaching and academic administration.
Exchange with Prof. Szymon at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
This visit marks an important step in further strengthening HUHST’s partnership network in the UK and Germany, ushering in a new phase of high-level international cooperation and exchange, and deepening collaboration with BSU. It will help advance the internationalization of the university’s talent cultivation and research, and inject fresh impetus into HUHST’s high-quality development.
(Source: Office of International Cooperation and Exchange)
