12 education & business
University looks east as it launches new China Centre
September 22 marked a very important milestone for Southampton Solent University as it officially launched its new China Centre (Maritime) with an event at the International Maritime Organisation in London. Alison Dewar of The Business Magazine reports
Taking the helm as director of the new centre is Minghua Zhao, a maritime sociologist and China expert with an excellent international reputation, who has arrived in Southampton fresh from her previous tenure as deputy director of the Greenwich Maritime Institute and director of the China Maritime Centre at Greenwich University.
She believes the launch of the new centre – timed to coincide with celebrations for International Maritime Day – will play a major role in helping to strengthen relationships between the University and its peers and partners in China, as well as opening up a host of new opportunities for students and staff alike.
Among the plans is the development of a maritime MBA, which will see Southampton Solent become only the second university in the country to offer such a degree; the establishment of a team of PhD students to boost Solent‘s reputation as a research-focused university; and a range of research projects, including one which will examine why so few women choose a career at sea.
China‘s strength as a maritime power is rising. It has the second- largest commercial fleet in the world and it is also the largest shipbuilding country in the world.
Zhao, who had already been working with some of the Southampton Solent team in her previous role at Greenwich, says it was the university‘s strong reputation for maritime studies, combined with its determination to build stronger links with China, which attracted her to the post.
“The University‘s five-year strategic plan has a very strong internationalisation dimension and there are huge opportunities to build on the good working relationships it already has with
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Her own research work, which has been widely published, focuses primarily on maritime policy, and she is particularly interested in human factors such as seafarers‘ health and welfare, their work and employment conditions, and gender issues, especially the role of women in the commercial seafaring industry and in the fisheries.
China ... has the second-largest commercial fleet in the world and it is also the largest shipbuilding country in the world
“Southampton Solent is well known as a teaching university but, as part of the strategic plan, we are very keen to improve its reputation for research,“ she said.
Professor Mike Wilkinson (left), deputy vice-chancellor (external engagement), with Professor Wang Yu Qian, president of Guangzhou Maritime Institute
China and to develop these further,“ she said.
“China is a very important economy and studying the country‘s maritime issues is very topical. There is a lot of debate and conversation about its maritime role, both now and in the future.
... the development of a maritime MBA, which will see Southampton Solent become only the second university in the country to offer such a degree
“The Centre‘s mission statement is to help promote closer ties between China and Britain and that will go well beyond maritime matters. Southampton Solent already has a very high profile in Southampton‘s twin town of Qingdao, and we want to bring the Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed with a delegation from a prestigious maritime university in Guangzhou who visited Southampton last
month, to fruition as soon as possible.“
Plans are already in place for a two-way exchange of teachers and students, giving Chinese visitors the chance to improve their English skills – something which is particularly important as English is the working language in ocean shipping – and the University‘s own students to gain work experience in China.
The Centre is part of the School of Maritime Science and Engineering and Zhao says she and the team will be working closely with their colleagues in the maritime team, including those at Warsash, as part of the programme to develop the maritime MBA.
Another key priority is to raise the University‘s reputation in the research arena and Zhao believes the work of the China Centre will be very important in helping to achieve that through its various research projects, academic and industry publications, public seminars, conferences and other activities.
“One new project looks into why only a very small proportion of women worldwide go into seafaring. Given that the industry has a real shortage of seafarers and particularly qualified officers, there is a serious need to find out why that is the case. We hope our research findings will help understand the barriers for women to join the industry and help ensure women have more equal opportunities, then we hope to be able to empower more women to become seafarers.“
The Centre will also be used as an important resource to help facilitate the University‘s China strategy at Solent.
Professor Graham Baldwin, vice- chancellor, said: “I am delighted with the launch of the China Centre (Maritime), which will enhance our developing strategy for China, particularly in the research dimension.
“We think that the research on gender will be world-leading and further enhance our reputation for research on human factors in the shipping industry.“
Details:
www.solent.ac.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – OCTOBER 2015
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