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北京大学英语新闻网/Peking University News
Yale 100 Visit to China
By Wang Yi
PKU NEWS 2007--05--18
http://ennews.pku.edu.cn/news.php?s=179501428
Peking University, Beijing, May 18, 2007: A 100-strong delegation of Yale University
students and faculty visited Peking University on May 18th as part of their visit to
China from May 15-25.
A welcoming ceremony was held at the Sunny Hall of Yingjie Overseas Exchange
Center (PKU), where PKU President Xu Zhihong, Yale Presdient Richard C. Levin
delivered a speech, followed by the remarks from students representatives of both
PKU and Yale.
President Xu shared with the guests the education environment and policy at PKU.
He said that PKU has made unremitting efforts maintain an environment for students
where their individual is treasured and protected create a space where students have
the freedom for choice to learn. In particular, Xu mentioned the Yuanpei Honors
Program of PKU, whose core idea is to break down the barriers among different
majors, offer various options for the students and a new mechanism of choosing a
major for PKU students. Members of the program are the Chinese students living
with their Yale counterparts on PKU campus.
As an old guest of PKU, President Levin addressed the audience briefly, saying that
he was glad to see how PKU had been moving forward as a model in the history of
Chinese higher education. He was also impressed by the records PKU had made of
the various cooperation between PKU and Yale University.
Student representatives, who have taken part in the joint undergraduate program,
gave a remark respectively, recalling their wonderful experience studying abroad.
Kate Aitken from Yale is now studying at PKU, while Zhang Xinyue from PKU went to
Yale for a 6-week summer school last year. Both of them had the opportunity to be
fully integrated into each other‘s distinctive life style and culture.
Shortly after the welcoming ceremony, the PKU-Yale panel discussions were carried
out on three topics: Globalization and its future development, China-U.S.
constructive cooperative relations—opportunities and Challenges, Global
environment and sustainable development.
Students and faculty from both PKU and Yale had a buffet lunch together at noon,
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