Delegation from the University of North Alabama, USA, Visited 

HZU

To deepen and substantify inter-university exchanges and cooperation and promote the 

high-quality development of international education programs, on June 17, a 

delegation led by Dr. Brien Smith, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic 

Affairs, and Dr. Hu, Vice President for International Affairs, from the University of 

North Alabama (UNA), USA, visited Huizhou University. President Wang Sheng met with 

the delegation in Conference Room 501 of the Administration Building. Vice President 

Wei Xiaohui, together with heads of the Academic Affairs Department, the International Exchange and Cooperation Department, the School of Economics and Management, 

and the School of Educational Science, attended the symposium, which was presided 

over by the head of the International Exchange and Cooperation Department.

At the symposium, Wei Xiaohui warmly welcomed the UNA delegation. She reviewed 

the exchange history and cooperation achievements of the two universities in recent 

years, and briefly introduced the situation of Huizhou City, as well as our university’s 

history, educational philosophy, disciplinary layout and characteristics of international

education. Subsequently, heads of the School of Educational Science and the School of

Economics and Management reported respectively on the progress, preparation status 

and follow-up cooperation plans of relevant joint education programs.

Brien Smith expressed sincere thanks for the warm reception. He praised Huizhou for 

its prominent geographical advantages, advanced industrial development and beautiful 

natural scenery, leaving a deep impression on him during his first visit. He noted that 

with a long history, profound heritage and rapid development, Huizhou University is 

one of UNA’s most important partners in China. Both universities boast solid 

foundations in teacher education, share similar educational positioning and 

philosophies, and are committed to cultivating application-oriented talents for regional

economic and social development. He highly recognized the achievements in 

international joint education made by the two sides and hoped that both parties would 

further consolidate the cooperation foundation, explore innovation, and achieve fruitful 

results from the joint international education programs.

Wang Sheng stated that based on in-depth cooperation in early childhood education, 

the two universities have established a solid foundation, with expanding cooperation 

areas and increasing projects, presenting a sound momentum and remarkable 

achievements. Against the backdrop of complex international relations, the active 

friendly exchanges and in-depth cooperation between the two universities have not 

only facilitated mutual learning of educational concepts and teaching methods, but also

promoted people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries. He put 

forward three requirements for future cooperation:

1. Ensure coordinated development: Conduct overall planning tailored to the specific

characteristics of cooperation programs in terms of models, majors and training 

processes.

2. Strengthen communication and coordination: Enhance collaboration as cooperation

programs expand, jointly discussing and resolving issues.

3. Focus on quality improvement: Meticulously implement all teaching and educational 

links of joint education programs, striving to build influential international talent training

programs in the region.

On the afternoon of the same day, the Huizhou University – University of North 

Alabama Academic Seminar & China-Foreign Joint Training Program Launching 

Ceremony was held in Room 501, Block B, Glorious Sun Technology Building. Brien 

Smith delivered a wonderful academic lecture for teachers and students of the School 

of Economics and Management on topics including leadership, organizational 

management and employee motivation. Hooper elaborated on UNA and its Master of 

Business Administration program, with enthusiastic interaction from teachers and 

students on site.

In her concluding remarks, Wei Xiaohui emphasized that the launch of the joint training

program for the Financial Management major marks an important achievement in
deepening cooperation and opening new chapters between the two universities. Both 

sides should strengthen coordination to ensure seamless daily work, jointly solve 

practical problems and guarantee the efficient advancement of cooperation programs;

 deepen collaborative education, promote the China-foreign joint training model, and 

advance the connotative construction and high-quality development of the programs.

During the visit, our university also held a Meeting for Teachers and Students of 

China-Foreign Joint Education Programs. Three student representatives from the Early

Childhood Education China-Foreign Joint Program shared their learning experiences, 

research gains and study-abroad plans. On-site students interacted with UNA’s 

university leaders on graduation requirements, major studies and postgraduate 

admission. Brien Smith highly praised the students’ achievements and encouraged

them in their future development.

It is reported that the 3+2 bachelor-master articulation joint training program for the 

Financial Management major, jointly organized by our university and UNA, will start 

enrollment this year. The implementation of this program further enriches the 

cooperation content of the two universities and is of great significance for improving 

our university’s China-foreign joint training system and promoting the high-quality 

development of international exchanges and cooperation.