Source: Office of International Cooperation & Exchange
Written by: Guo Lianlian
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On November 18, 2019, Professor Nasser Paydar, Chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Executive Vice President of Indiana University (IU), led a delegation to visit Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU). SYSU President Luo Jun met with the guests in the Grant Hall on Guangzhou South Campus. SYSU Vice President Xiao Haipeng as well as representatives from relevant schools, departments and offices attended the meeting.


President Luo Jun extended a warm welcome to Chancellor Nasser Paydar on behalf of SYSU. He said that the cooperation between the two universities enjoys a long history and covers extensive scope. He hoped to consolidate and deepen mutual cooperation in various disciplines and fields.

Chancellor Nasser Paydar said that he was very happy to visit SYSU again. He introduced IUPUI’s recent development and expressed that SYSU is an important strategic partner of IUPUI. He hoped that the two sides could conduct substantial cooperation in the fields such as literature, linguistics, earth sciences, electronics and information technology, mathematics, computer science, systems science and engineering, among others.

Representatives from SYSU’s School of International Studies, School of Foreign Languages, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, School of Data and Computer Science, School of Electronics and Information Technology, School of Systems Sciences and Engineering, School of Mathematics, Higher Continuing Education Center, and SYSU Zijing Education Co., Ltd., GZ gave speech and introduced the development situations in their respective units. The two sides exchanged views on faculty and student exchange as well as scientific research cooperation, and reached consensuses.

After the meeting, Chancellor Nasser Paydar presented a letter written by IU President Michael A. McRobbie to President Luo Jun. He also bestowed upon President Luo Jun the Indiana University Bicentennial Medal and Certificate in recognition of SYSU’s outstanding contribution in the longstanding partnership between the two universities.

Members of the IUPUI delegation also included Dr. Hilary Kahn, Associate VC International; Professor David Russomanno, Dean of Purdue School of Engineering and Technology; Professor Shiaofen Fang, Interim Dean of Purdue School of Science; Professor Robert Rebein, Interim Dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts; Professor Thomas Upton, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Founding Director of Program for Intensive English; and Dr. Zaocheng Xu, Special Advisor for Chinese Cultural Outreach and Partnerships.

Indiana University and Purdue University merged their many programs and schools to create IUPUI in 1969. The advantageous disciplines of IUPUI include medical science, nursing, public affairs, etc. SYSU signed a strategic cooperation agreement with IUPUI in 2007. Since then the two universities have conducted increasingly frequent exchange and cooperation such as faculty and student exchanges, joint programs and scientific research projects in liberal arts, science, medicine and engineering. In 2015, SYSU and IU signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation.