From April 22 to 23, Party Secretary Han Xu led a delegation to Finland and met with the leaders of LUT University. They investigated the daily operation of LUT University and Finland Campus, visited the dormitories, communicated with teachers and students, and learned about the working and studying life of teachers and students. Afterwards, they also attended the Inauguration Ceremony of the Finland Campus. During its stay in Finland, the delegation had cordial and friendly exchanges with local officials and visited the cities of Lahti and Lappeenranta, where the Finland Campus is located. Vice President Ma Guowei and Director of International Cooperation and Exchange Office and Party Secretary of International Education Institution Chen Hongyan accompanied the delegation.

   

The university leaders had a discussion with the leaders of LUT University and Lahti City

On April 22, Han Xu and his delegation came to Lahti City and had an in-depth exchange with Teresa Kemppi-Vasama, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of LUT University, Markus Lankinen, Director of the Department of Economic Development of Lahti City, and Janne Hokkanen, Head of Development Planning of LUT University. Markus Lankinen introduced the basic situation of Lahti city, the focus and achievements of economic development in recent years, the positive role of the Finland campus to the economic and social development of Lahti city, and the blueprint of the construction plan of the Lahti campus.    

The delegation went to the dormitory to talk with students and teachers

The delegation visited the campus and the dormitory for students in Lahti. On April 23, Han Xu and his delegation came to the city of Lappeenranta. The delegation was received by Satu Sikanen, Governor of South Karelia, Kimmo Jarva, Mayor of Lappeenranta, Ding Ma, Director of City Vitality and International Affairs, Juha-Matti Saksa, President of LUT University, Janne Hokkanen, Head of Development Planning, and Maija Kuiri, Director of Teaching and International Affairs. Satu Sikanen and Kimmo Jarva introduced the economic and social development of South Karelia and Lappeenranta respectively, and asked about the satisfaction of Finland Campus students with local life and their suggestions for the government's work. The governor and mayor expressed their great support for the construction of Finland Campus and the government will do a good job in providing services.

The delegation had a meeting with the head of LUT University and teachers in Finland

The delegation had a meeting with the head of LUT University and teachers in Finland

The delegation also visited the Lappeenranta campus and the teachers' and students' dormitories to learn about the living conditions of teachers and students, the teaching and learning carried out, as well as suggestions for the future development of the campus.

       

The delegation visited Lappeenranta dormitory and interacted with students and teachers

The Delegation Visits Lappeenranta Campus

At 14:30 (Finnish time), the inauguration ceremony of Finland Campus was held at Lappeenranta Campus. More than twenty people attended the inauguration ceremony, including leaders of Hebei University of Technology, leaders and faculty representatives of LUT University, and representatives of teachers and students of the Finland Campus.

Party Secretary Han Xu and LUT President Juha-Matti Saksa inaugurate the campus in Finland

Han Xu said it was a great pleasure to break through the three-year barrier of the epidemic and meet face-to-face with colleagues from LUT University as well as teachers and students in Finland. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of opening up education to the outside world on several important occasions, calling on the Chinese education sector to vigorously cultivate international talents with a global perspective, knowledge of international rules, proficiency in foreign languages, and mastery of communication between China and abroad. As a successful model of educational cooperation between HEBUT and LUT University, the Finland Campus has been continuously enrolled for three years. Although the epidemic in the past three years brought great challenges to the construction of the campus, it is gratifying to see that the campus is running well and fruitful with the joint efforts. He hoped that the Finland Campus would strengthen the exchange of faculty with LUT University in the future, promote mutual visits of teachers between the two universities, and pool the advantageous resources of both sides to increase the cooperation in scientific research between them. The leaders of the Department of International Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Education are very supportive of the development of the Finland Campus, and hope the Finland campus can become an excellent example of overseas cooperative education. Han Xu warmly invited the leaders of LUT to attend the 120th anniversary of the university in October.

Vice-President Ma Guowei delivered a speech

Ma Guowei said he was very pleased to visit LUT for the second time after three years. As the Vice-President, it has been an honor to witness the establishment of the Finland Campus and its thriving development today, as well as the wisdom, sweat and emotion of everyone who has contributed to it. He said that the construction of Finland campus is very fruitful, and the scale and quality of students are steadily increasing, and the interaction between Chinese and Finnish teachers and students is effective. From the fall semester of 2021 to this fall semester, 33 teachers have been sent to Finland to carry out teaching work, 54 courses have been offered in cooperation with LUT University, more than 40 teaching seminars and training sessions have been held, and the first batch of international students will go to HEBUT for a three-month exchange study in the summer of 2023 to learn more about Chinese culture and society. The influence and reputation of the Finland campus are increasing, and the good operation of the campus has won the praise of the Chinese Ministry of Education, the Hebei Provincial Department of Education, the Chinese Embassy in Finland, the Finnish Embassy in China, as well as the teachers, students and parents. As a model of overseas cooperative education, Finland Campus will welcome more development opportunities.

Speech by Juha-Matti Saksa, President of LUT University

Juha-Matti Saksa, President of LUT University, extended a warm welcome to the delegation and emphasized that the cooperation with HEBUT in building the Finland campus is a win-win choice. The arrival of students and faculty from Finland campus injects new vitality into the development of the local city, which is of great positive significance to the local economic and social development as well as the cultivation of international talents. In the future, LUT University and HEBUT will work together for the long-term planning, and make the Finland Campus a famous brand of international campus.

Teacher representative Ms. Han Jianping spoke

The teacher representative Han Jianping shared the enthusiasm of international students for Chinese language and culture that she felt during her teaching in Finland. She also said that she had experienced the Finnish higher education concept and teaching methods more deeply in the process of teaching in cooperation with LUT teachers, and was very grateful to the university for providing such a valuable learning opportunity.

Student representative Liu Tianyuan from ST211 class spoke

As a representative of ST211 class, Liu Tianyuan shared her improvement in English expression, independent learning and teamwork in the past six months. She said she would continue to cherish the time she spent studying at Finland Campus and strive to improve herself, and sincerely wished the campus would be better and better.

Group photo at the inauguration ceremony of Finland Campus

Group photo of university leaders and representatives of teachers and students in Finland

 

University leaders with Sun Hongzhi, head of the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in Finland

During this trip, the delegation also met with Sun Hongzhi, head of the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in Finland.

Text: Fan Chen Chen

Photo: Wang Pengjie, Chen Yubin, Hou Zhichao

Review: Chen Hongyan, Shi Gengshan

Translate: Chen Dongning