On the afternoon of May 31, a delegation led by Professor Robert Kozak, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada, visited our university to discuss deepening institutional cooperation and establishing a Sino-foreign cooperative education program at the Hainan International College. The meeting was held in Conference Room 1008 of our university’s Comprehensive Administration Building.

President Song Wenlong and Li Mingze, a member of NEFU’s Party Committee Standing Committee and Vice President, attended the meeting. Representatives from the Office of International Cooperation, Aulin College, Hainan International College, and other relevant departments also participated in the discussions.

President Song Wenlong warmly welcomed the UBC delegation and reviewed the longstanding, productive collaboration between the two universities across a range of fields. He noted that our university has built a strong foundation in forestry science and ecological civilization. At the same time, UBC possesses internationally recognized expertise in forestry and environmental management, making the partnership highly complementary. Referring to the strategic development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone, and the International Education Innovation Island, President Song highlighted the broad prospects for joint educational programs in tropical regions. He emphasized that establishing a collaborative education program in Hainan is an important step in supporting China’s strategy to open education to the world and in advancing the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. He expressed the hope that the meeting would catalyze the translation of the two universities’ shared vision into concrete cooperative initiatives.

Professor Robert Kozak expressed his appreciation for NEFU’s warm hospitality. He remarked that it is both innovative and exemplary for two universities in temperate regions to collaborate on education and research in a tropical setting. He described the meeting as the start of a new phase of cooperation and expected the two universities to pursue broader, deeper collaboration in areas such as joint disciplinary development, collaborative student training, and coordinated scientific research, thereby advancing the internationalization of forestry education.

During the meeting, both sides held extensive discussions on the proposed cooperative education program, covering institutional approval procedures, student recruitment goals, and talent development models. The two universities reached a preliminary consensus on several key issues, laying a solid foundation for the next stage of cooperation.