On September 16, Keiron Broadhead, Deputy Vice-President of the University of Southampton, UK, and his delegation visited the International College(IC), Xiamen University(XMU). Dean Yu Hongbo met with the guests, and the two sides held in-depth discussions on exchange and cooperation between the two universities.

Dean Yu extended a warm welcome to Keiron Broadhead and the delegate, and gave a comprehensive review of the collaboration between the two universities since it began in 2008. She noted that over the past decade and more, IC and the University of Southampton have continued to deepen practical joint talent cultivation, with cooperation programs covering multiple fields including art and design, fashion management, and education, and spanning multiple levels including undergraduate, postgraduate, and foundation programs, having sent more than 200 students to the University of Southampton for further study. At present, all cooperation programs are running smoothly and in an orderly manner, with outstanding performance in student progression and employment outcomes. The two universities have established a regular mechanism for faculty exchanges and teaching seminars, and have reached full consensus on curriculum standards and teaching paradigms, laying a solid practical foundation for upgrading the quality of cooperation. She looked forward to the two sides building on existing mature programs, seizing policy opportunities for Sino-foreign cooperative education, and jointly exploring new models of cooperation at a higher level and greater depth.

Keiron Broadhead expressed his gratitude for the warm reception by the IC, fully affirmed the fruitful talent cultivation outcomes achieved through the long-term cooperation between the two sides, and spoke highly of the overall quality of our students studying in the UK. He shared the University of Southampton's latest disciplinary layout and internationalization development plans, and expressed his sincere willingness to further deepen the strategic partnership between the two universities.

Both sides agreed that the cooperation between the two universities has a profound foundation and complementary disciplinary strengths, and that favorable conditions exist for cooperation at a higher level. In the future, the two sides will further improve the regular communication and coordination mechanism, build consensus, and refine implementation. On the basis of consolidating and enhancing the quality of existing cooperation programs, they will actively plan and develop new programs, promote the sustained and in-depth advancement of international cooperation between the two universities, and work together to cultivate more high-level interdisciplinary talents with a global perspective.