宁波诺丁汉大学 | |||||||
Motto | Latin: Sapientia urbs conditur | ||||||
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Motto in English | "A City is built on Wisdom" | ||||||
Type | Joint-venture university | ||||||
Established | 2004 | ||||||
Parent institution | Zhejiang Wanli University and University of Nottingham | ||||||
Chair | Xu Yafen | ||||||
Chancellor | Lola Young, Baroness Young of Hornsey | ||||||
President | Xincheng Xie | ||||||
Vice-Chancellor | Shearer West | ||||||
Provost | Jon Garibaldi | ||||||
Party secretary | Shen Weiqi | ||||||
Address | 199 Taikang East Road , , , 315100 , 29°48′08″N 121°33′33″E / 29.8022°N 121.5592°E | ||||||
Colours | Nottingham Blue and White | ||||||
Website | nottingham.edu.cn | ||||||
Chinese name | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | 宁波诺丁汉大学 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 寧波諾丁漢大學 | ||||||
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Satellite campus of the University of Nottingham |
The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) is a Sino-foreign cooperative university in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. UNNC was established in 2004 by a partnership between the University of Nottingham and the Zhejiang Wanli University.[1]
UNNC offers a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, all of which are taught in English.[2] The degrees awarded to students are University of Nottingham degrees.[2] Undergraduate students of Chinese nationality also receive an additional bachelor's degree from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China.[3]
The university is officially recognized by the Ministry of Education of China, which considers it an independent institution with its own degree-awarding authority at the bachelor's level.[4] Meanwhile, the University of Nottingham in the UK and Liu Xiaoming, then-Chinese ambassador to the UK, considers UNNC as an overseas branch campus of the University of Nottingham (along with the University of Nottingham Malaysia).[5][6]
The University of Nottingham began developing ties with the Chinese higher education sector in the late 1990s through student recruitment, exchange programs, and research collaborations.[7] These initiatives led to the appointment of Professor Yang Fujia, former President of Fudan University, as Chancellor of the University of Nottingham in 2001. Recognizing the growing demand for higher education in China and the Chinese government's openness to international institutions, the University aimed to enhance its international presence in China.[7]
In March 2003, the Chinese government enacted new legislation permitting the establishment of joint-venture universities in partnership with Chinese institutions.[8] After discussions with various local partners, the University of Nottingham partnered with the Wanli Education Group, which managed Zhejiang Wanli University and operated in the Ningbo Higher Educational Zone.[7] An agreement to establish the campus was signed in October 2003, followed by a joint venture agreement in March 2004. The Chinese Ministry of Education gave official approval shortly after, making UNNC the first joint-venture university to obtain legal status as an independent campus in China.[9]
UNNC began operations in September 2004 with its first cohort of 254 students from Zhejiang province, initially operating from temporary premises within Zhejiang Wanli University.[7] Construction on a purpose-built 144-acre campus began in April 2004 and was completed in time for the second intake of students in September 2005.[7] The campus was formally opened on 23 February 2006 by British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, in the presence of Chinese education minister Zhou Ji and State Counsellor Chen Zhili.[10]
At the end of 2012, the British Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) went to the University of Nottingham Ningbo China for a quality assessment. In May 2013, QAA released the Quality Assessment report on the university and concluded that the academic level of University of Nottingham Ningbo China and the quality of students were consistent with the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.[11]
UNNC offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes across three primary faculties. Each faculty encompasses a number of schools or departments:
All programmes are modeled after equivalent programs at the University of Nottingham (UK) and are taught entirely in English.[11] Upon graduation, students are awarded University of Nottingham degrees.[11]
The following have served as President of the university:
Years | Name |
---|---|
2002–2022 | Yang Fujia |
2024– | Xincheng Xie |
The following have served as Provost of the university:
Years | Name |
---|---|
2004–2007 | Ian Gow |
2007–2009 | Peter Buttery |
2009–2010 | Roger Woods |
2010–2015 | Nick Miles |
2015–2019 | Chris Rudd |
2019–2024 | Nick Miles |
2024– | Jon Garibaldi |
In the December 2007, founding Provost Ian Gow OBE published an article in a discussion paper titled ‘British Universities in China: The Reality Beyond the Rhetoric’.[1] The article, drawing on his experience as founding Provost of UNNC, cautioned British universities that they must acquire a more thorough understanding of Chinese higher education policy if they were to succeed in building successful strategic alliances over the long-term, especially in light of China's growing presence as a major educational hub and research and development power.
A statement was issued by Vice-Chancellor Colin Campbell distancing the university from Professor Gow’s position, criticising an article by The Guardian for a misleading assessment of Professor Gow’s article.[15] Another response was subsequently published in The Guardian.[16]
In 2018, Stephen Morgan, who served as Nottingham Ningbo's associate provost since 2016, was removed from its management board for criticizing the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and being a critic of broader Chinese Communist Party-backed initiatives in the university, but remained on the faculty.[17][clarification needed]