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Last modified: Friday, July 7, 2006

IU Provost McRobbie to lead university delegation to China

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2006

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Michael A. McRobbie, Indiana University interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, will lead a university delegation visiting China on July 8-19.

The delegation will meet with officials at several universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University in Beijing, Zhejiang University in Hangzhou and Fudan University in Shanghai. They will discuss existing areas of cooperation, potential partnerships, information technology initiatives and life sciences research.

McRobbie said the university expects to sign an agreement with Tsinghua University to expand collaborative efforts that began with information technology efforts.

"The aim really is symmetric. It's looking to build opportunities for study or service abroad for our students across a variety of disciplines in the world's largest country and the world's most dynamically growing economy," McRobbie said. "We also want to expand the opportunities to bring their best students and faculty here to study and work with IU researchers."

Two evening reception events will be held with IU alumni, one in Beijing and the other in Shanghai. Current and prospective students also will be invited to meet with members of the IU delegation. Several personal meetings with alumni and friends of IU have been planned. The delegation will meet with officials in the Beijing Office of the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Scientific and Technology Network.

"I am personally delighted that Michael is becoming a very visible international presence," said IU's Patrick O'Meara, dean for international programs, who has represented the university interests abroad for three decades. "The visit to China by a high ranking IU administrator is a clear indication of its increasing global importance. The provost's presence will enhance existing IU relationships and explore and foster new ones."

IU's most recent high-level visit to China was in 2000 when McRobbie, then vice president for information technology, presented at a conference in Beijing. Joining McRobbie will be Jim Williams, director of international networking; Shawn Reynolds, associate director of the Center for International Education Development Assistance; and Becky Wood, special assistant to the provost.