On the morning of March 1, 2024, a delegation from Lancaster University of the United Kingdom visited Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) and had an exchange meeting with the School of Foreign Studies (SFS) and the Department of International Cooperation & Exchanges of XJTU. Anthony Mark McEnery, Paul Baker, Elena Semino and Jonathan Culpeper, four professors from Lancaster University, Lei Yanjun, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation & Exchanges, and SFS leaders, teachers and students attended the meeting.

The meeting was presided over by Prof. Chen Xiangjing, Dean of SFS.

During the meeting, Prof. Chen warmly welcomed the delegation and Prof. Culpeper expressed his gratitude for the invitation.

Both sides introduced the basic information of their universities and major strengths. Deputy Director Lei explained in detail the policies and regulations on cooperation in joint programs, and expressed her hope that the two sides would reach a consensus on aspects such as the majors and program modes based on detailed discussion. Then both sides discussed the common goals and specific procedures of cooperation. They expressed that the two universities have a foundation for cooperation and both sides are looking forward to further expanding the cooperation and carrying out joint projects.

Founded in 1964, Lancaster University is a research university located in Lancashire, North West England, ranking 122nd in the QS World University Rankings 2024, with its QS Ranking for Linguistics being 10th.

Since the beginning of 2021, the two universities have started cooperation in the field of foreign language researches. In the past few years, both have achieved remarkable cooperation results in many aspects including disciplinary innovation, lecture organization, and interdisciplinary researches. This visit is of great significance to in-depth cooperation between two parties in the future.

Written by: Li Zitan

Edited by: Chu Jianwei