On the afternoon of March 27, a professor delegation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and ETH Zurich visited SEU. The delegation held talks and exchanges at the Architecture Internationalization Demonstration School at SEU Sipailou Campus. Attendees included Wu Xiaocheng, Secretary of the CPC SEU Committee, Vice President Qiu Haibo, David Leatherbarrow, the international Dean of the Architecture Internationalization Demonstration School, as well as leaders from the Human Resources Office, the International Cooperation Department, and the School of Architecture.
In his speech, Secretary Wu Xiaocheng warmly welcomed the MIT and ETH Zurich delegation and briefly introduced the history and disciplinary advantages of SEU and its School of Architecture. He pointed out that SEU is currently launching its “Year of Global Engagement” initiative and has appointed internationally renowned scholars, such as Prof. David Leatherbarrow, the international Dean of the Architecture Internationalization Demonstration School, and Prof. Philip Ursprung from ETH Zurich, to serve as experts on the International Cooperation Strategic Advisory Committee. At this critical juncture, the visit of delegations from these two top-tier universities is of great significance for upgrading SEU’s international cooperation. Wu Xiaocheng highly appreciated the achievements made by the Architecture Internationalization Demonstration School and the existing collaboration in the field of architecture between SEU and the two universities. He emphasized that SEU would continue to prioritize exchanges and cooperation with world-class universities, hoping that this visit would further deepen high-level exchanges, expandareas of cooperation, and promote joint teaching, research collaboration, and applied innovation, thereby jointly building an international architectural education community and contributing to the high-quality development of disciplines and global academic exchange.
Prof. Rafael Segal from the MIT School of Architecture and Planning remarked that the architectural teaching philosophy of MIT aligns closely with that of SEU, with both universities emphasizing the core role of design in architecture. He expressed his expectation to jointly advance the development of the SEU-MIT Joint Research Center. Prof. Philip Ursprung from the ETH Zurich School of Architecture highlighted the long-standing collaboration between ETH Zurich and SEU in the field of architecture, noting the close academic exchanges over the years. He stated that the cooperation would continue to deepen based on the existing foundation and that they would further promote the development of the SEU-ETH-HKU-UPM Design Thinking Center.
David Leatherbarrow, the international Dean of the Architecture Internationalization Demonstration School, emphasized that the School of Architecture, SEU, while advancing the development of the Architecture Internationalization Demonstration School, focuses more on the quality of international cooperation rather than the quantity. The collaboration with MIT and ETH Zurich has not only demonstrated the strong partnership among the universities but also established a strong and sustained academic partnership, laying a solid foundation for continued cooperation.
During the honorary professor appointment ceremony, Prof. Philip Ursprung, former Dean of the ETH Zurich School of Architecture, was appointed as a part-time professor at SEU. Secretary Wu Xiaocheng presented him with the Letter of Appointment and the university badge.
Source: School of Achitecture
Translated by：Melody Zhang
Proofread by: Gao Min
Edited by: Leah Li
