On 12 June, Professor Richard Follett, Vice-President of the University of Exeter, led a delegation to visit the Moganshan Campus to accompany Professor Tim Quine, former Vice-President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) of the University of Exeter, to take up his new post. Professor Zheng Huajun, Vice President of Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT), met with the visiting delegation. The leadership team and faculty representatives of ZUTE attended the meeting.

Zheng Huajun extended a warm welcome to Richard and his delegation. He noted that ZJUT has always taken it as its mission to serve national strategies, advancing the development of ZUTE with high standards and quality, and providing all-round support in policy guarantees, funding investment, faculty development and supporting facilities. The appointment of Tim, as the UK Vice-Dean fully demonstrates the high-level mutual trust and profound consensus underpinning the strategic partnership between the two universities. He expressed anticipation that both sides would further deepen faculty exchange, joint curriculum development and shared quality assurance mechanisms, embed world-leading British higher education resources firmly within the institute, and build a model Sino-foreign cooperative education institution with global influence.

Richard thanked ZJUT for its gracious reception and spoke highly of the progress achieved by ZUTE. He stressed that the Joint Institute stands as a core pillar in the University of Exeter’s global strategic layout. Sending seasoned Tim to fill this role represents the University of Exeter’s highest-level commitment to bilateral collaboration. Moving forward, the two institutions will continue to deepen cooperation in joint training of high-calibre talents and collaborative research on cutting-edge scientific issues, jointly driving leapfrog development of ZUTE.

During the ceremony, Zheng Huajun presented Tim with his official appointment certificate. With over a decade of distinguished experience in higher education administration, Tim boasts profound expertise in discipline development, international engagement and talent cultivation. Upon taking office, he will integrate the century-long educational heritage and advanced educational philosophies of the University of Exeter into every dimension of the Joint Institute’s growth.

Appointment Ceremony

This appointment marks a vital milestone that propels the joint education partnership from steady foundational construction to a new phase of quality enhancement and upgrading. Going forward, ZUTE will fully leverage the complementary strengths of two top Chinese and British universities, continuously innovate international talent training models, and strive to nurture outstanding young talents endowed with patriotism, global vision, professional expertise and innovative capacity, thereby injecting robust momentum into national strategic initiatives and high-quality regional development.

During their visit, Richard and his delegation conducted an on-site inspection of ZUTE’s premises, teaching facilities, experimental platforms and student learning environment, gaining in-depth insights into its daily operations and phased achievements.

Group Photo