Major staff recruitment drive at The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

NUBS China, as part of the Nottingham University Business School, is among the world’s top-ranked business schools. It is home to nearly 3,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

A leading international business scholar, Professor Carl Fey, was recently appointed as Dean of NUBS China and Dean of UNNC’s Faculty of Social Sciences. Professor Fey has already started implementing changes aimed at further improving the business school’s subject offering and research outputs.

Professor Martin Binks, Dean of the Nottingham University Business School, said a major advantage for NUBS China is its location in Ningbo. “Local entrepreneurs and business executives are receptive to, and encourage, working with the university — which in turn gives students the opportunity to receive a well-rounded business education,” he said.

NUBS China plays a valuable role in the local economy. “Lots of international students in big cities just pass through. However, the tendency here is for students to move on to opportunities in the area and, in so doing, they contribute to the growth of the local economy and to the success of the city of Ningbo,” said Professor Binks.

The University will hire at least two more senior academics for its new Division of Economics at the Ningbo campus. The University has one of Europe’s top economics departments.

Its Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Greenaway, is a world authority on economics. In November he accompanied British Prime Minister David Cameron as part of an independent advisory team to the UK-China summit to discuss growing commercial, investment and research links.

Dr Chang Liu, co-ordinator of the University’s Leverhulme Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy in China and UNNC’s Division of Economics, said: “We are ideally placed here in Ningbo. We have connections with the real business world. This helps our students combine theory, which we teach to a very high standard, with practice.”

The University will appoint an additional 12 professors, associate and assistant professors and a chief technician to its engineering division. UNNC has already recruited some of the world’s best and most promising academics to its engineering staff.

Engineering is one of the newest divisions at the University, but it is expected to become one of its biggest as UNNC rolls out its detailed, long-term plans. The University expects to triple its number of engineering students to over 2,000 within the next few years.

Master of Science degrees will be offered in a range of subjects including civil engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, environmental engineering and mechanical engineering. The first crop of UNNC engineering students will graduate in 2012 and they will now be able to continue to the masters degrees necessary for chartered engineer status.

A 14,000m² building for science and engineering, currently under construction, will be completed by mid-Spring. International technical experts have been visiting the University to advise on laboratory and technical equipment necessary to support the new courses.

Professor Nick Miles, UNNC’s Provost and CEO, said of the vision to grow the University’s engineering division: “We have received the full support of our partners and the government here in Ningbo as it is recognised that the city needs more scientists and engineers to upgrade its industrial sector and structures.”

Ningbo is an important industrial city in China’s prosperous east coast province of Zhejiang.

Professor Miles, a leading light in international engineering research, said: “The original concept for UNNC — matching The University of Nottingham’s strengths in teaching and research with China’s interests and needs — has proved itself to be appropriate and successful.

“The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China has grown from strength to strength since it opened its doors in 2006. In this next phase of development, we will continue to expand the range of subjects in order to achieve a balanced subject base,” he said.

UNNC’s new Dean of Science & Engineering, Professor Gethin Roberts, said: “UNNC is drawing on the research expertise and experience at The University of Nottingham to deliver world-leading research and teaching in science and engineering here in Ningbo — a major industrial and manufacturing node for China and for the world.

“We are involved in several exciting research collaborations involving developing sustainable manufacturing technologies and systems which address a range of areas identified as critical for China’s development.

“We are also playing a major role in developing technologies that will have a significant impact in reducing carbon emissions. Our engineering students reap the benefits of studying in an environment where conducting research that is relevant for modern business and industry is a priority,” he said.

The University will also add at least three more senior academics to its well-established International Communications and English Studies divisions.

UNNC already employs just under 400 teaching and administrative staff from countries across the world.

A student-centred, British-style education in which the emphasis is on developing analytical thinking and creative problem-solving is provided across all programmes.

UNNC offers the same high standards of teaching as The University of Nottingham’s UK and Malaysia campuses. All 39,000 students across the three international campuses graduate with the same degrees from The University of Nottingham.

The University’s partner, Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, and the Ningbo city and education authorities have given their full support to UNNC’s development plans.

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as “the nearest Britain has to a truly global university”, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.

The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.

The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.

More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news

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