China alumni, Professor John Craven and Joe Docherty
The first major alumni event in China for former students of the University of Portsmouth was held in Beijing on Friday.
Forty former students attended a celebration dinner hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor John Craven and International Director Joe Docherty. Dr Ming-He Yang, the university’s China Director, and Dr David Ndzi of the faculty of Technology also attended the event at Xian Ling Tian Xia restaurant.
Mr Docherty said: “We were hugely impressed with the enthusiasm shown by our former students and shared in their obvious pride in their careers and social successes since graduating. A number of them now work in senior posts in government; several have substantial roles in private investment and banking organisations; and there was even a wine importer. All expressed their thanks and appreciation of the experience they had had in Portsmouth.”
China remains the university’s largest overseas recruitment market. The 527 new students who enrolled this month bumped the number of Chinese students currently studying in Portsmouth up to about 1,000.
Professor Craven gave an after-dinner speech, in which he toasted alumni and congratulated the three couples present who had met at the university and since married. The evening ended with a promise to meet again in October 2012 at the university’s graduation event in Beijing.
The first major alumni event in China was organised by Emily Weihua Peng and Jason Ming Hu, the secretary and president of the University’s Chinese Alumni Association.
