On October 21^st, the 2019 Fall Semester USTB International Experts Meeting was held and hosted by the Office of International Affairs and the Department of Human Resources. University Administrative Officers present at the meeting included director of the Office of International Affairs, Professor Feng Qiang, deputy director of the Office of International Affairs , Ms. Li Bei, deputy director of the Department of Human Resources, Professor Yi Honghong, deputy director of the Department of the Registrar, Mr. Chen Jian, deputy director of the Graduate School, Professor Yao Zhihao, and deputy director of the Office of Facilities and Maintenance Management, Mr. Bao Bo. A total of 21 international experts from various departments throughout USTB attended the meeting, which was chaired by deputy director of the Office of International Affairs, Professor Ban Xiaojun.

Professor Ban opened the meeting by warmly greeting the international experts and introducing them to the assembled officers. She spoke of USTB’s efforts to make itself into a world-class university with the help of its faculty. As the international experts not only work but also live at USTB, the purpose of the meeting was to hear their comments and suggestions on how to better improve the university’s services for them. Following her speech the international experts then watched two videos introducing both the history of USTB and it’s partnership with RWTH Aachen University.

Following the videos the international experts participated in a lively discussion where they provided suggestions for improving overall living conditions, refining communication between themselves and the university, activities such as Chinese language classes, and how to improve the newly launched English website. Comments and questions were answered by the assembled officers, and promises were made to provide help with more complicated issues that were brought up. Following the Q&A session the participants assembled for a group photo.

The USTB Office of International Affairs is committed to improving the services of the university for its international experts and providing an outlet for their voices to be heard. Whether the issues be large or small, only through communication and teamwork can the university improve the lives of its staff. The meeting helped to create more open communication between USTB and its international expert community, especially those new to the university, and should also provide a means by which USTB can continue its internationalization efforts.