On the evening of March 24, the 2021 Board Meeting (online) of the Confucius Institute jointly established by Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and Albany State University of New York was successfully held. Li Yongqiang, vice president of SWUFE, Jeanette Altarriba, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of UAlbany, and other members of the board attended the meeting.
At the meeting, Li Yongqiang affirmed the considerable progress made in the development of Confucius Institutes since the establishment of the cooperation, and expressed his gratitude to the UAlbany side for their efforts and contributions during the pandemic last year. He said that SWUFE will attach great importance to CI and fully support the future work of the Confucius Institute in three aspects. The first is to enhance the top-level design and guarantee university-level support; the second is to build signature projects and focus on talent training; the third is to do research and broaden the exchange platform. All of the three aspects would promote the steady, sound, and comprehensive development of the Confucius Institute.
The board reviewed the "2020 Annual Report" and the "2021 Plan" prepared by the director of the Confucius Institute, and reviewed the "2020 Final Budget Report". Dr. Ting Liang, director of the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation gave a specific explanation on strengthening the cooperation between the two sides based on the post-pandemic era.
The two sides conducted further research, discussion, and proposed solutions on the challenges. Consensus was reached on the viewpoints of further cooperation and development. Both parties agreed that Confucius Institutes should actively explore and innovate new models of cultural exchange and academic collaboration through information technology and internet, to realize the cooperation and sharing of educational resources. Relying on the bridge of Confucius Institutes, two universities wish to strengthen ties and create a new win-win situation in the future.
（Source: Office of International Exchange and Cooperation）
