The University of Adelaide is keen for more Chinese students and more co-operation with Chinese counterparts to broaden its diversity and enhance its awareness in China.

 That is the message from the university's Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice-Chancellor (International).

 “The reason why we want international students is because they can bring diversity to enrich our culture and add vibrancy to our academic environment,” explained James A. McWha, Vice-Chancellor and President of University of Adelaide, in an interview with China Daily.

 Compared with five years ago, there is a significant increase in the number of Chinese students on campus. Currently there are 1,600, with an annual growth rate of almost 30 percent, said John E. Taplin, Vice-Chancellor (International) of the University of Adelaide.

 McWha expects Chinese students to bring cultural diversity to not only to sciences and engineering, but also arts and humanities.

 The University of Adelaide is Australia's third oldest university, and was established in 1874. Five Nobel Laureates are among its alumnae, along with over 100 Rhodes Scholars to Oxford University and many Fulbright Scholars to America.

 The university has already established close co-operation with their Chinese counterparts in academic research. These include joint programs with the China Academy of Science in soil research for farming since 1998.

 China and Australia have similar soil and water-shortage problems. The two countries can work things out together, McWha suggested.

 Other collaborative projects with leading Chinese institutions, include Shandong and Fudan universities on public health and medical care, because they are strong fields of study at the University of Adelaide.

 For future co-operation, the University of Adelaide may work with their Chinese counterparts on programs such as environmental protection and water resource management.

 With more than 20,000 students, including some 5,000 international students from 80 countries, the university offers a broad range of courses and outstanding opportunities for research. It’s an environment that encourages and values personal interaction with teaching staff.

 Australia has an advantage over the United States and the United Kingdom in terms of attracting Chinese students with quality education at lower expenses, according to McWha.

 “The cost of studying in Australia is 20 percent cheaper than in the US or Europe,” Taplin added.

 Also since China and Australia are in the same time zone, it is easier for Chinese students to communicate with family members, Taplin joked.

The University of Adelaide has major teaching and research strengths in wine and food, health sciences, biological sciences, physical sciences, engineering, information technology and telecommunications, environmental sciences and social sciences. The university is a leader in research, with research grants consistently the highest per capita of any university in Australia. Analysis of the impact of publications and citations shows that the University of Adelaide is ranked in the top 1 percent in the world in 11 different research fields.