First 2022 SBC Management Council Meeting held

On the afternoon of 29th July, the first 2022 SBC Management Council Meeting was held in Room 203, the SBC administration building. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, UK Management Council members attended via video link.
The Management Council members are: Ding Xiaodong, President of USST, Chair of the SBC Management Council; Cai Yonglian, Vice-President of USST, Dean of SBC; Zhang Hua, Vice-President of USST; Ma Xiaoting, Director of International Exchange Department; Gan Yi, Director of Academic Affairs Office; Diao Jiewen, Director of Finance; Dr Malcolm Butler, Vice-President and Director of Global Engagement of the University of Sheffield; Prof Laura Bishop, Pro Vice-Chancellor from Liverpool John Moores University; Prof Jane Owen-Lynch, Pro Vice-Chancellor from the University of Huddersfield; Prof Chris Wigginton, Pro Vice-Chancellor from Sheffield Hallam University and Stuart Smith, CEO of NCUK. Li Yan, Secretary of General Party Branch of SBC and Prof Shan Yanguang, Vice-Dean of SBC, Interim Principal of SBC were in attendance. President Ding Xiaodong chaired the meeting.

President Ding warmly welcomed all attendants, and expressed his sincere gratitude to UK partner universities and NCUK for their endeavours and contributions. He stressed that since the last Management Council Meeting on 3rd December last year, SBC had made a series of progress, and the lecturers and students had made great achievements under the joint efforts of both sides in China and the UK. SBC has embarked on the preparation of AACSB Accreditation with AACSB Membership. All the programmes provided by the School of Engineering and Computing of SBC for the CEng (Chartered Engineering) programmes are awarded IET accreditation. USST has then become the first higher education with IET Accreditation for engineering programmes in Shanghai. SBC has been highly recognised in both China and the UK with the achievements in collaborative education, international accreditations, social responsibility, etc.
Ding hoped that both sides would further build on their strengths and put forward suggestions for the next development of SBC as well as for the cooperation expansion of UK partner universities and USST at all levels.

Shan Yanguang made a work report and had a discussion about academic staff, degree courses, international accreditation, talent development, enrolment and employment and other issues with the other Management Council members. All members unanimously recognised the achievements of SBC in the first half of 2022 and expressed their sincere gratitude to the leadership and colleagues of both sides for their strong support and contributions.

This Management Council Meeting clarified the direction and objectives for the future development of SBC. SBC will take this conference as an opportunity to further improve its international education, core competitiveness and social recognition and contribute itself to USST’s construction of being a first-class university of science and engineering with distinctive features.