A group of global university presidents, heads of international organizations, and scholars gathered at Sun Yat-sen University on November 11 for a forum to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the prestigious university in South China.

Themed around “Fostering a Shared Future, Embracing Inclusion and Innovation”, the forum has brought together university leaders and representatives of 48 institutions across 14 countries and regions for dialogues on the opportunities and challenges within higher education in the face of AI, sustainable development, and regional collaboration.

Sun Yat-sen University Global Forum of University Presidents (Photo: Liang Zijian)

During the forum, GDToday interviewed Lynn Pasquerella and Denzil Suite, two educational leaders from the United States. While Pasquerella has been the President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities since 2016, Suite is the Vice President of the University of Washington.

In the interviews, both asserted the need for China and the United States to collaborate in addressing global challenges.

“All significant problems in this world are global problems. Everybody is facing the same things. And the only way for us to solve global problems is by working together,” Suite noted.

Pasquerella also recognized the importance of cooperation between Chinese and US researchers in tackling challenges such as the pandemic, global warming, food and shelter, and the security of people around the world.

“We rely heavily on partnerships with institutions around the world. China is the biggest partner for US researchers, and that's invaluable to us,” she remarked.

When asked about the growing concerns among Chinese students about their study in the US with the return of Donald Trump, Pasquerella expressed understanding of such worries considering the anti-Asian sentiment “that has been fostered by the president in many instances” and extended a welcome to Chinese students.

“I hope that Chinese students won't be dissuaded from coming to the United States because we need you more than ever in terms of the richness and diversity of perspectives that you bring,” said Pasquerella.

Despite all the uncertainties, Suite reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation and termed it “a very high priority” at colleges and universities.

“No one can really predict what the future will be,” he said, and believed that “there will continue to be people advocating to ensure that we have a well-rounded, diverse set of students.”

Link to the report: https://www.newsgd.com/node_d36b0ef83f/a0dbfe986b.shtml