Just back from Hong Kong and Melbourne. On the night of my arrival I teamed up with Gavin Maggs and our Hong Kong Alumni Chapter. 50 of them (and 4 Bath exchange students) attended an event in central Hong Kong. There was real satisfaction at Bath’s progress. I had also been invited to give a keynote address at a British Council Global Education Dialogue in Hong Kong. The topic was ‘Building Sustainable Research Networks’. Great feedback from representatives including 9 different Asian countries. Great contacts, too. On my last night I gave an address at the British Council to celebrate the awards of Scholarships for Excellence. And our own Guy Barkley (MechEng) was among them. Before heading out to Melbourne I had a breakfast meeting with colleagues from the Hong Kong university sector and one of our local alumni, Richard Lewis. We discussed business and strategy in Asia – and Welsh rugby!
I finally caught up with some sleep in Melbourne where I was a member of the UUK delegation led by Cardiff’s VC. The purpose was to establish a national bilateral framework between the UK and Australian systems. My panel – with Cardiff’s VC and Adelaide’s DVC – was devoted to mobility. In between (and with a few shots of caffeine) I met up with the Dean of Architecture and Design and a senior advisor to Melbourne’s VC. There are strong contacts between Melbourne and USP.
Next international stop Brussels for the European Rectors Conference and then São Paulo with a Bath delegation. If you are a globalist, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Good to hear that your visits went well. Were the exchange students you met our BBA team who are on exchange at CityU?
I look forward to reading your blog on Brazil!
Yes indeed – highly motivated, too.