LSBU welcomes Boris Johnson to China
London South Bank University (LSBU) this week welcomed the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to Beijing, where a pop up installation celebrated the achievements of London's universities and their Chinese alumni – along with the collaborations taking place between the two citiesLSBU was chosen as one of only four London institutions to showcase its work as the Mayor and MP David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, were interviewed at the event by the world's international media in the city's Design District.
Johnson and Willetts both visited the exhibition and the opening ceremony was also attended by members of the Chinese Ministry of Education, high profile Chinese celebrities, and various business leaders. A key feature of the showcase was a film compiled of clips made by final year LSBU students, depicting London themes and imagery. It was introduced by Suzy Kerr-Pertic, Pro Dean of Arts and Human Sciences at LSBU.
LSBU has a strong background in welcoming students from China, offering a campus located in the heart of London and world-class study opportunities - as well as support with everything from scholarships to visas and accommodation.
"We welcome this latest move by the Mayor of London's office to show that the doors to London and its universities are open to Chinese students", said Bev Jullien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External) at LSBU.
"We recognise the urgent need for the Mayor's new official promotional website for London -www.london.cn - aimed at 600 million Chinese speaking users, having already developed and launched our own Chinese language website with this audience in mind.
"We are renowned for our long history of welcoming and supporting students from China who come to study with us here at London South Bank University and our relationship with Chinese business and culture has grown through our pioneering Chinese MBA and we are home to the world's first Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine."
Heidi Wang, a BA Hons Accounting and Finance alumna, decided to move from China to study at LSBU. She says: "LSBU is such a diverse place to study, with students and academics from all over the wold. The modules on my course were very career focussed, which was especially helpful for my development - the experience I had at university means that I gained a position as an associate at PriceWaterhouseCoopers straight after graduating. Learning so close to central London was a fantastic experience."