UNC System Represented at “Integrate to Innovate” Conference in China

Posted January 18, 2018

Four delegates in a variety of roles represented the UNC System at the “2017 Integrate to Innovate Second Annual International Education Forum” on Dec. 2-3, in Chengdu, China. Representatives included Andrew Kelly, SVP strategy and policy, UNC System; Steven Long, UNC Board of Governors member; and Rick Van Sant, executive director and Tom Martineau, associate director for education and training, both of Go Global NC. Go Global NC has been part of the UNC System for nearly 40 years. Long offered remarks at the opening dinner for the forum, and Kelly and Van Sant served as panelists for the “Exploration and Implementation of the Internationalization of Basic Education” session.

Conference attendees included more than 500 experts in education, health care technology and related professions from around the world who were brought together to focus on how to “establish a community with a shared future for all humankind” and “accelerate educational modernization and innovation.”

The UNC delegation was hosted by Beijing Royal School, an elite K-12 school established in 2003 by Wang Guangfa, the founder, chairman of the board and principal of Beijing Royal School and president of the Beijing Fazheng Group. Other sponsors of the event included the Center for China and Globalization, Research Institute of International Education South-South Cooperation, and the Beijing Royal Charity Foundation.

The delegation spent a day at Sichuan University, and they also visited the Chengdu Royal Language School and the Beijing Royal School. At the Beijing Royal School, Van Sant and Guangfa signed a new memorandum of understanding, which was witnessed by Long, Kelly, and Martineau. Van Sant and Martineau also met with the Sichuan Provincial Department of Education. All the delegates gained a deeper understanding of the importance of Go Global NC’s collaborative work and ongoing partnerships to improve educational opportunities in North Carolina classrooms.