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Professor Michael Luck, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Sussex, on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sasha Roseneil, received a calligraphy couplet from Professor Hu Zhifeng, Dean of the School of Arts and communication

The University of Sussex’s Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities recently welcomed a senior delegation from Beijing Normal University (BNU) during an official visit to the United Kingdom.

The BNU delegation was led by Professor Hu Zhifeng, Dean of the School of Arts and Communication, and included Professor Shen Jiliang, Senior Expert in Education and Teacher Development; Professor Zhen Wei, Vice Dean of the School of Arts and Communication; Professor Wang Jie and Professor Ren Shengshu; and Associate Professor Xiao Yan, all from the School of Arts and Communication.

Beijing Normal University (BNU) is the earliest institution in Chinese higher education to establish arts programmes, and has produced many iconic Chinese artists, filmmakers and media producers. BNU is ranked among the top ten universities in mainland China. Its disciplines of Drama, Film and Television Studies, and Digital Media Art are among the top 2% nationally in China's official discipline evaluation, and have also been designated national priority disciplines under the government's 'Double First-Class' Initiative.

The delegation was welcomed by Professor Michael Luck, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the University of Sussex; Professor Robin Banerjee, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global and Civic Engagement); Professor Simon Thompson, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International); and faculty leadership from the Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities and the Faculty of Social Sciences. The Faculty of Media, Arts and Humanities, represented by Professor Cornel Sandvoss, Dr Sally Chen, Dr Ben Roberts, Dr Sam Ladkin, Dr Irene Fubara-Manuel and Dr Ariel Li, led a full-day programme of academic and cultural exchange with the BNU delegation.

The ties between Sussex and BNU go back to the 1990s, when the two universities worked together on a UNESCO project on implementing basic education in China. During the visit, the two delegations identified synergies between the two institutions - a shared commitment to human flourishing and progressive futures, common ground in shaping the future of Media and Arts education, and an aspiration to collaborate on interdisciplinary course design and pedagogy in subject areas including Digital Media, AI, Development Studies, Game Design, Global Communications, and Creative Industries.

The visit marks an important step in strengthening collaboration between the two institutions. Both institutions have agreed to deepen collaboration through research partnerships, staff and student exchange programmes, and exploring Sino-UK co-education in Media and Arts.

A reciprocal visit by a Sussex delegation to BNU is planned for October 2026, during which both sides will continue to develop the partnership and next steps for collaboration. The Faculty of MAH is proactively collaborating with world-leading institutions to address the challenges facing higher education in the subjects of Media, Arts and Humanities.

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