28th November 2003

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MBA, MPA students receive degrees in special ceremony held in Shenyang

The University of Ulster today conferred degrees on 50 postgraduate students in a special ceremony held in Shenyang, capital of China’s Liaoning province.

The students, who all studied courses at the University’s Jordanstown campus, received the degrees of Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Public Administration (MPA), in a ceremony held at the Liaoning People’s Hall in the city.

Presided over by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerry McKenna, the gala occasion gave the students and the families a chance to celebrate together their outstanding academic successes, and to strengthen the links between the University of Ulster and Liaoning province.

VIP and civic dignitaries from the Liaoning Provincial Government attended the ceremony. Guest of Honour was Professor Zhao Xinliang, the Honourable Vice-Chairman of Liaoning People’s Political Consultative Conference, who among his many distinctions is also a Visiting Professor of the University of Ulster.

Addressing the students, their families and VIPS, Professor McKenna said:

“We live at a time of momentous change. University education in China increased by 150% in the decade to the year 2000. The potential of e-learning for harnessing the skills and talent of over 1.3 billion Chinese people to social and economic progress through higher education is awesome. The University leads the United Kingdom in the field of e-learning, with over 1,000 students from seventeen countries studying twelve Master’s programmes fully online this year. The future is indeed with us now."

“Quantum leaps in ICT and progress in biosciences and nano-science are changing the modern world. The recent success of China’s space mission demonstrated to the world your country’s progress in high technology, with profound economic significance in the field of exports, especially in areas such as computing, materials science, manufacturing and electronics."

Paying tribute to the dedication and accomplishment of the Liaoning students, the Vice-Chancellor said:

“It is said that there are a few moments in each life when the door opens and lets the future in. I hope that today’s ceremony will be just such a moment in the lives of the students receiving their degrees today."

“It is said that lasting knowledge is acquired by steps and not by leaps. Your qualifications are important personal steps. I hope that your period of study has opened your minds to the importance of emerging knowledge and new ideas."

“I am confident that each of you will contribute to the progress and prosperity of Liaoning Province and your country. It is a country whose cultural and natural riches it is a privilege for myself and my colleagues to share”

Later this week, on Saturday 29th November, the University will host a graduation ceremony in Hong Kong for students from the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk