Lingnan University’s President S. Joe Qin visits world-renowned institutions to explore international academic collaboration opportunities and strengthen ties with Lingnan alumni

To further expand Lingnan University's international network and consolidate its leading position in academic research, Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, embarked on a two-week visit to the US. During this visit, he engaged in discussions with various prestigious institutions to explore international academic collaboration, aiming to provide students with additional global learning prospects. As the Year of the Dragon is around the corner, President Qin also gathered with Lingnan alumni in the US, fostering connections and leveraging the collective strength of shared experiences to enhance global alumni relationships.

During his time in the US, President Qin visited the renowned liberal arts institution Pomona College. There, he met with President G. Gabrielle Starr to exchange thoughts on the international development trends and practical experiences of liberal arts education. Both sides expressed a desire to strengthen intercollegiate collaboration.  President Qin highlighted the historical connection between the two institutions, noting that Charles K. Edmunds, who served as the President of Christian College (Lingnan University's predecessor) from 1907 to 1924, later became the President of Pomona College from 1928 to 1941.

President Qin also had meetings with Prof Zhou Min, an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). They discussed opportunities to enhance collaborative research efforts and organise academic conferences. Prof Zhou expressed great pleasure in strengthening ties with Lingnan University. She graduated from Sun Yat-sen University 40 years ago and received a scholarship from the Lingnan Foundation for her studies in the US, which contributed to her remarkable academic achievements.

Additionally, President Qin met with Prof Jong-shi Pang, a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and a Professor at the University of Southern California (USC), to explore collaboration in fields such as big data and artificial intelligence. President Qin introduced Lingnan University's plans to establish the Institute for Advanced Study and the School of Data Science. Prof Pang expressed the hope for collaborative groundbreaking research and noted that he is also a Lingnan alumnus, having graduated from Lingnan Primary School in Vietnam.

During his visit, President Qin also made separate visits to the Lingnan Alumni Association in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where he shared the latest developments of Lingnan with alumni. At the gathering, he presented a gift to Prof Leonard K Cheng, the former President of Lingnan University, and invited Prof Cheng to document his tenure as the University's President for the past ten years. President Qin said: "As Lingnan University approaches its 60th anniversary of re-establishment, we are committed to substantial development and the establishment of Lingnan University's first history museum. This initiative aims to pass on the Lingnan spirit. I sincerely invite our alumni to return home, contributing to the cultivation of more outstanding Lingnan individuals and spreading the Lingnan spirit worldwide."

Moreover, seizing the opportunities presented by the 60th-anniversary celebration of re-establishment, Lingnan University announced the launch of the "Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment" initiative. The University plans to recruit over 60 renowned scholars from around the world. Emerging young scholars joining Lingnan University will have the chance to be nominated for the Presidential Early Career Scholars Scheme. Successful candidates will be conferred the "Presidential Early Career Scholar" title and offered an attractively competitive remuneration package along with a start-up grant.

For more information, please visit Lingnan University's official Weibo:

https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404997033957130312