During his visit to the institution on Monday, the ambassador of Australia got acquainted with the history, courses, industrial cooperation and international relations of the University of Debrecen. Ian D.G. Biggs also met with students from the Institute of English and American Studies.
The diplomat, representing his country in Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, visited Debrecen and the university for the first time. His delegation held a meeting with Károly Pető, general vice-chancellor, and Okszána Kiszil, director of coordination and strategy, during which Ian D.G. Ambassador Biggs praised the number of foreign students at the University of Debrecen, which exceeds seven thousand.
In connection with this, the university leaders provided information on the role and activities of the International Education Coordinating Center, as well as the wide range of courses offered in English. The meeting also discussed the almost five-hundred-year history of higher education in Debrecen, the Confucius Institute, as well as research and development and related industrial collaborations, including with BMW and GE.
In connection with the international contact system, the ambassador and his colleagues offered their cooperation in making contact with Australian higher education institutions.
During the visit, the guests got to know the Main Building and the historical monuments of the institution, as well as the unique university and national library.
Ambassador Ian D.G. Biggs also gave a lecture to the students of the Institute of English and American Studies. The diplomat spoke about cultural diplomacy, Australia’s foreign relations and diplomatic tools for conflict management as an invitee to the Practical Diplomacy course of the American Studies master’s program.
The Institute of English and American Studies has been teaching and researching the literature, history and culture of Australia for about thirty years. Five Australian students study at the University of Debrecen, four at the Faculty of Pharmacy, and one young person at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology.
(unideb.hu)
