On the morning of May 13, a delegation led by Professor John McCourt, President of the University of Macerata, Italy, visited Beijing Normal University (BNU). President Yu Jihong and Vice President Chen Xing met with the guests. Representatives from the School of Philosophy, School of International Chinese Language Education, School of Foreign Languages and Literature, and the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation also attended the meeting.

President Yu Jihong extended a warm welcome to President McCourt and his delegation. She noted that the Confucius Institute jointly established by the two universities has been running successfully for over 13 years. The Confucius Institute at the University of Macerata has played a significant role in Chinese language teaching, teacher training, and cultural exchange between China and Italy. Over the years, the two universities have co-organized international academic conferences and student exchange programs such as summer camps. She expressed her hope that the two universities will facilitate cooperation and exchange.

President McCourt introduced the University of Macerata’s preponderant disciplines and related developments. He emphasized that the university put a premium on its partnership with BNU. He noted that the Confucius Institute has fostered the interest of Italian people in learning Chinese and understanding Chinese culture. He expressed hope that the two universities would further deepen their collaboration in fields such as law, education, economics, and language instruction.

Chen Xing discussed with the delegation on matters such as the cultivation of internationalized and compound talents and the promotion of teacher exchanges between the two schools.

In addition, representatives from both universities engaged in discussions oncultivating interdisciplinary talent with global vision, and promoting faculty exchange. Heads of the participating schools shared updates on the academic development and explored opportunities for collaboration in areas such as student exchange programs, teacher training, joint research, and co-hosting academic conferences.

Founded in 1290, the University of Macerata is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It has a wide range of disciplines, including law, literature, philosophy, cultural heritage, political science, economics, education, and communication studies. Among them, the law program is regarded as one of the best in Italy.