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Visit from Dr. Min Weifang-Peking University

Thursday, November 2, 2006

Park Alumni Center
12 p.m.

Let me welcome everyone and thank you for joining us.  Today, we are honored to host Professor Min, Executive Vice President and Chairman of the Peking University Council.

Peking University is not only the oldest university in China, but is also China's top ranked comprehensive university.  Peking University has a great deal in common with us.  For example, it produced the first spin-off company, a software company, from a university that became officially listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

Just last week, you know we had 3 NC Staters in China sign agreements that will help redefine international education at NC State.  We will hear more about these agreements from Provost Nielsen in just a few minutes.

The agreements we signed last week speak to our historic missions of teaching and research, as well as extension, engagement and economic development.  As a land grant university, we've taken very seriously our role in educating students and doing innovative research as we respond to the needs of our state, our nation and our world.  We continue to solve real-world problems, we help create jobs and we help change lives for the better through our programs and the outreach from our campus.

NC State is truly a global community that prides itself on attracting the best international students and faculty.  With 31,000 students and 1,800 faculty, NC State continues to be a national leader in scholarship and innovation across our many disciplines.

And now let me introduce Professor Min.

As Executive Vice President and the Chairman of the Peking University Council, Professor Min is responsible for a wide range of university operations, including academic affairs, faculty development, personnel, finance and university high-tech industry programs.  He is a faculty member in the economics of education at the university and also serves as the Director and Professor of the university's Institute of Higher Education.

In addition, Professor Min serves as: President of the China National Association for Research on Study Abroad; Vice President of the China Higher Education Research Association; Vice President of the China National Association of Economics of Education; and the Senior Research Fellow of the National Education Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education of China.

He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the international journal, HIGHER EDUCATION.

He has served as the principal investigator for many national and international research projects and authored or co-authored many publications in education.  Since the early 1990s, Professor Min has participated in over 30 World Bank Missions to Eastern Europe, South Asia, Southeast Asia and China for higher education development projects.  He has served as the Chairman of the Expert Panel for the implementation of the World Bank's Education Development in Poor Provinces project in China.

Thank you, Professor Min, for joining us today and for sharing your thoughts on Peking University and higher education partnerships.  Please join me in a warm NC State welcome for Professor Min.