By Li Han
Staff Writer of the Tsinghua Newsletter
In response to an invitation from China’s President Hu Jintao, Yale University President Richard C. Levin on May 18 led a delegation of 100 Yale students, faculty, and administrators on a visit to Tsinghua University as part of their overall stay in China from May 15-25.
Tsinghua President Gu Binglin welcomed the Yale guests at the Main Building. “Tsinghua University cherishes the good relationship we have established with Yale University. In recent years our two universities have developed programs for cooperation and academic exchange. I am happy to mention that the Tsinghua-Yale Environment & Sustainable Development Training Program for China’s City Mayors has been especially successful,” said President Gu.
Yale President Levin briefly addressed the audience, noting also that Tsinghua and Yale enjoy good cooperation in environmental studies. He expressed his hope that collaboration between the Yale and Tsinghua could be strengthened and expanded in the future.
Ruan Hao, a student from the School of Architecture and Vice President of the Tsinghua University Student Union, hosted the welcoming ceremony and briefly introduced the Yale delegation to Tsinghua University.
After the welcoming ceremony, the delegation visited the Academy of Arts and Design, the School of Architecture, the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, and the School of Economics and Management. The members of the delegation had ample opportunity on their tour to interact with Tsinghua students and teachers.
Yale President Levin and Tsinghua President Gu Binglin later exchanged ideas in Gongziting on such topics as further cooperation in the sciences, law, and environmental science. Tsinghua Vice President Xie Weihe also participated in the discussion.
Professor Levin received his B.A. degree from Stanford University in 1968 and earned a B.Litt. degree in politics and philosophy at Oxford University. In 1974 he received his Ph.D. from Yale and immediately joined the faculty there. He became Yale President in 1993.
(Photo by Guo Haijun)
