On June 29, 2018, Dr. Björn Kjerfve, Chancellor of American University of Sharjah (AUS), visited SUSTech with other AUS representatives including Chief Research Officer Zhao Wei, Management Information Systems Professor Xu Xiaobo, and Department Head of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences James E. Gannon. SUSTech attendees included President Chen Shiyi, Vice President Tang Tao, UNESCO-ICHEI Director Li Ming, Global Engagement Office Director Hou Shengtao, and representatives from Business School and College of Sciences.

The AUS delegation visited the Materials Characterization and Preparation Center before heading to the 3D campus construction model, where Professor Hou Shengtao gave a brief introduction of SUSTech. The two parties then held a meeting, with university representatives introducing their respective institutions and engaging in productive discussions on academic exchange schemes.

Tang Tao pointed out the young spirit of both universities and encouraged both students and faculty members from AUS to visit SUSTech, while Björn Kjerfve proposed academic exchange programs based on the two institutions’ strengths.

Before accompanying the AUS delegates to lunch, SUSTech representatives showed them around the beautiful SUSTech campus.

About AUS:

Founded in 1997, AUS is acclaimed throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Middle East for its academic excellence and multicultural campus environment. AUS is an independent, non-profit, coeducational institution of higher education formed on the U.S. model, which integrates broad-based liberal arts education with professional education studies. At AUS, all classes and administrative functions are conducted in English.

The university has proven to be an ideal setting for the promotion of cross-cultural understanding as well as an educational environment where every student can realize his/her full potential. AUS is a very diverse university that brings together more than 6,000 students from more than 99 countries. It has a gender ratio of approximately 1:1, including both graduate and undergraduate students.