A delegation from Ningbo University in China came to the University of Iceland early in June to renew the existing contract on student exchanges between the two universities.
Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, and Shen Manhong, Rector of Ningbo University, signed the new cooperative agreement in the University's Main Building. The new contract includes stipulations on continuing possibilities of student exchange between the universities. Numerous students from the University of Iceland have in recent years studied Chinese during their exchange studies at Ningbo University. The University offers UI students studies in Chinese, furthermore, special summer courses in the language held at Ningbo every summer. Possibilities for further collaboration in other fields of study were discussed at the signing.
Ningbo University is party to the University of Iceland's Northern Lights Confucius Institute, founded in 2008. Almost all of the Chinese lecturers at the Institute have come from Ningbo University.
The Rector of Ningbo University gave the University of Iceland's all female choir a generous gift during his visit, but one of the Northern Light Confucius Institute's directors, Qi Huimin, is a choir member. The gift was presented in a brand new University building, Veröld - hús Vigdísar, that currently houses the institute.