Education with a global focus

London, one of the world's most cosmopolitan capitals, also hosts one of the city's most culturally diverse schools - University College London (UCL) - which has students and staff representing more than 180 nationalities.

Since being founded in 1824, UCL has been an innovative institution. It was the first secular university in England as well as the first university in that country to admit female students on equal status with men.

In line with this unique heritage, UCL has repeatedly set standards for educational institutions and this time, it has intensified overseas strategies.

"We are looking to establish a new mode of w

ork in regard to research fellowships, undergraduate abroad programs and other relationships. We are interested in creating a dialogue between our campus and the various international partners we are working with," says professor Michael Worton, vice-provost of UCL.

UCL encourages its students to look at research opportunities that take them outside the laboratory or classroom. Aside from further developing their technical skills, students are urged to acquire insights into unfamiliar cultures and show evidence of having obtained a truly global understanding. They are asked to tackle problems as they affect populations across the globe.

Meanwhile, UCL has been building relationships with Chinese pupils and institutions for 10 years now. As a result, Chinese students now make up the largest non-European group in the university.

In 2007, more than 1,000 Chinese pupils entered UCL. High-level collaboration is a crucial part of the school's international strategy, leading to partnerships with Beijing University, Lanzhou University, and the University of Electronic Science and Technology in China.

"UCL is London's global university and one of the key issues for us is how we encourage all our students and staff to make a difference outside the classroom. We are a truly multi-faculty university spanning all subject disciplines. This range enables us to engage very seriously in first-rate innovative interdisciplinary work, whether in undergraduate or master's level courses," emphasized Worton.

www.ucl.ac.uk

(China Daily 08/28/2007 page19)