Calendar 2002–03

TheUniversity 75 Liaison with the World of Learning The University has since its in ception in 196 3 striv en to enhance the cr oss- fertilization of Chinese and Western academic and cultural tr aditions. To this end, the University has over the years established and maintained relationships with a large number of institutionsthe world over, including universities, research institutes, centres of learning, governmental agencies, and in particular, regional and international associations of universities. It is also an active member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions o f Higher Learning, the International Association of Universities, the Eur opean Associatio n fo r In tern atio nal Educatio n, the US In stitute of International Education, and the Association of University Presidents of China (AUPC). The University has also been serving as one of the secretariat offices to AUPC since its founding in 1997. The Office of Academic Links (OAL) is responsible for the management and development of academic linkages in support of the University’s academic priorities. It enhances the global perspective of scholarsand students, and provides international learning opportunities. Its work can be categorized into three areas: student exchanges, international links, and China links. Student Exchanges The University’s f irst ex change programme was launched in 19 65 with the University of California system. Sincethen student exchange programmes have been establishedwith over 70 institutions in other parts of the world. Apart from the UCsystem, exchange partners include Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania in the USA, Sophia University andKyushu University in Japan, Yonsei Univer sity in Korea, and the University of British Columbia an d the Univ ersity of Toro nto in Canada. There are also exchan ge agreements with institutions inAustralia, Denmark, France, Germany,Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. TheUniversity is also amember of the International Student Exchange Progr amme and the University Mobility Asia an d the Pacific. All the above exchange programmes are supported and administered by the OAL,which also runs a popular International Asian Studies Programme (IASP) that has already attracted over 2,500 students from 35 countries to study at CUHK. To add value to the learning experience and to promoteintercultural exchange within the CUHK community, the OAL h as also organized a variety of extracu rricular activities for local and internatio nal studen ts. These include monthly dinner talks, the ‘Teaching in China’ programme, and field trips. International Links Work on international linkages have resulted in the setting up of joint research projects,symposiums and conferences, and faculty exchanges. Theinternational character of theUniversity has been significantly enhanced by foreign government contributions to a number of instructional programmes.