Akron Magazine - Summer 2009 - (Page 2)

Up Front The University of Akron Signs Educational Agreement with China’s Prestigious Peking University A long history of collaboration between The University of Akron and China’s prestigious Peking University has culminated in the signing of a new educational cooperation agreement between the two institutions. UA President Dr. Luis M. Proenza and President Qifeng Zhou of Peking University signed the agreement July 1. With a joint Ph.D. program in polymer engineering that has been in place for nearly 15 years, the broadened agreement will extend to law, education, engineering and the general sciences and include such initiatives as joint research projects, student exchange programs, visiting scholars and cultural programming. “The University of Akron is fully committed to continuing our research and educational collaborations with Peking University,” Proenza says. “I have had the opportunity to visit this prestigious university and am pleased to further develop our educational and cultural collaboration.” Zhou said he feels particularly close to The University of Akron, not only because of a longtime friendship with Dr. Stephen Cheng, dean of UA’s College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, but also because his only daughter is a UA alumna, and also met her husband at UA. “I’m very pleased and honored to sign this agreement of cooperation between Peking University and The University of Akron,” Zhou says. “This was made possible by the long relationship between our two polymer science programs, but through this agreement we will further enhance cooperation in other disciplines such as law, the sciences, education and engineering.” Dr. Luis M. Proenza, president of The University of Akron (left), and President Qifeng Zhou of Peking University sign a new educational cooperation agreement between the two institutions. Proenza emphasized the need for UA and other American research universities to extend their reach beyond U.S. borders for the sake of the global economy. “To succeed globally, all universities, businesses, industries and governments must work in partnership to support clusters of innovation that will ensure an increasingly stronger and larger source of human capital,” Proenza states. “So, let’s plunge ahead–our common future depends on it.” < Change in the Board of Trustees Roland H. Bauer Roland H. Bauer, vice chair on the UA Board of Trustees, retired from the board in July when his term ended. He will be replaced as vice chair by existing board member Richard W. Pogue ’04. For more information on Bauer, see page 25. Warren L. Woolford New to the board is Warren L. Woolford ’74. Woolford, who retired from the City of Akron as a city planner, was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award in May. For more information on Woolford, see page 24. |2|

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Akron Magazine - Summer 2009

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