On the morning of June 3rd, Professor Li Lu, President of the university, and Professor Ye Shiping, Vice President, met with Professor Paul Hampton, Head of the Department of Built Environment, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Wolverhampton, UK, in Room 507 of the Cha Chi-ming Building.

Other attendees at the meeting were Professor Wan Guowei, Director of the Office of International Exchange; Professor Zhou Zhaocheng, Dean of the School of Public Administration; Associate Professor Wu Ronglan, Deputy Director of the Office of International Exchange; Associate Professor Ye Zhixiao, Deputy Dean of the School of Public Management; and Lecturer Li Wenxin, a faculty member in property management.

President Li Lu extended a warm welcome to Professor Hampton on his visit. He remarked that the University of Wolverhampton enjoys a strong academic foundation and rich teaching resources in the fields of architecture and the built environment. This visit, he noted, serves as a bridge of communication between both universities. He expressed his hope that both universities would take this opportunity to complement each other’s strengths and work together to advance educational development through closer cooperation. President Li further pointed out that our university is the first institution in Zhejiang Province to establish collaborative ties with the University of Wolverhampton. He explained that Professor Hampton’s visit was primarily aimed at exploring a joint education program in cooperation with the School of Public Management, and expressed his hope that, through joint efforts, the proposed program would be successfully approved. President Li also proposed the idea of jointly applying for the establishment of a new undergraduate program in architectural surveying. He emphasized that the architectural surveying is a fundamental discipline for the construction industry. With the continuous development of the sector, the demand for well-trained professionals in this field is steadily increasing. As Zhejiang Province is one of China’s leading economic regions, he expressed his hope that the two universities could cooperate on the development of applying for offering this new program, integrating their respective strengths and resources to build a high-quality talent training system in architectural surveying. President Li also extended an invitation to Professor Hampton, asking him to convey a warm welcome on behalf of our university to the President of the University of Wolverhampton, and inviting them to visit our university in the near future.

Vice President Ye Shiping gave an overview of our university’s disciplinary strengths, as well as its achievements and future plans in teaching and research related to architecture and related fields. He highlighted the strong foundation and great potential of our university in program development. Drawing on the development trends and talent needs of the property management industry in China, he shared his expectations and vision for the proposed joint education program. He emphasized that the university would spare no effort to fully support the application for the joint education program in property management. In addition, he expressed the hope that the two universities could explore broader cooperation and further communication in other disciplines and fields, including teaching and research cooperation, talent development programs, and faculty and student exchange activities.

Professor Hampton expressed strong interest in the proposals put forward by the university leaders and stated that he would actively promote the advancement of related cooperation initiatives. He shared the experience and strengths of the University of Wolverhampton in the field of property management, including its curriculum design, teaching model, and practical training approaches. He emphasized the university’s teaching philosophy of combining theory with practice and training students’ practical operational ability. During the meeting, Professor Hampton spoke highly of the warm reception and thoughtful arrangement provided by the School of Public Management and the Office of International Exchange. He expressed strong support for the proposed joint education program in property management as well as the new program in architectural surveying. He said that during the previous discussions regarding the joint education program, he had communicated with the representatives from the School of Public Management and the Office of International Exchange, focusing particularly on property management. They had discussed and exchanged views on the cooperation details such as curriculum co-development, faculty sharing, and student exchange, and reached a preliminary consensus on these aspects.

Since his arrival at the university on May 30th, Professor Hampton has participated in a range of academic and exchange activities. He attended the Third Conference on Property Management and Grassroots Governance, where he delivered a keynote speech titled New Changes in the UK Real Estate Market. He also took part in the seminar on talent training plan for the proposed international joint education program in property management, co-organized by the two universities. At the seminar, Professor Hampton engaged in an in-depth discussion with faculty and students from the Department of Property Management, and skillfully integrated international perspectives with local insights by focusing on key topics such as program development, disciplinary advancement, talent training, and the establishment of industry schools. In addition, Professor Hampton also visited the university library, the Smart Property Management Laboratory, the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Chongde College, and the sports complex. He had friendly exchanges with faculty and students, and spoke highly of the university’s infrastructure, administrative system, and academic development. As it happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival during his visit, Professor Hampton also experienced traditional customs of the festival, such as making “zongzi” (rice dumplings), hanging scented sachets, and tying five-color threads. He was deeply impressed by the development of the university’s two campuses and the beauty of Hangzhou.

The visit of Professor Paul Hampton, Head of the Department of Built Environment at the University of Wolverhampton, signifies a promising beginning for future cooperation. In the future, both universities will further strengthen communication and cooperation, confirm the details of the cooperation plan, and work toward the early implementation of the joint education program in property management. Meanwhile, they will make efforts to accelerate innovative cooperation on the program of architectural surveying, and work together to achieve the shared goal of educating more high-caliber and internationally oriented professionals in the architectural and built environment sectors. The exchange and cooperation with the University of Wolverhampton not only bring new opportunities for our university’s program development and internationalization, but also provide a broader platform for faculty and student exchanges between the two universities, which is expected to foster deeper integration and joint development in academic, cultural, and other fields.