20 April 2018
Ms Berit Rokne, President of the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences visited the Shanghai Theater Academy on the afternoon of 19 April 2018. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, formerly known as the Bergen University College. In January 2017, the Bergen University College merged with other universities the cities around Bergen into the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences which has more than 16,000 students and five campuses ranking number one in Norway and provides degree programs from bachelor through to doctorate.
The Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the foreign universities that have maintained long-term cooperation and exchange with the Shanghai Theater Academy. Its first visit to the Shanghai Theatre Academy dated back to 2003 during which the cooperation agreement was signed. Since then, there has been exchange of visits between the two sides on many occasions. In 2010, the two sides reached the agreement and formally launched a short-term exchange program under which 28 students of the Shanghai Theatre Academy have been to the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences for study. The Western Norway University of Applied Sciences has also provided great assistance to the Shanghai Theatre Academy for the development of the theatre education discipline.
Both sides expressed that in the future, apart from students' communication, they will also expand scientific research and communication with teachers. Mr Lou Wei, Chairman of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Mr Liu Qing, Vice President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Mr Gong Baorong, Dean of the International College, received the guests from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Both sides expressed the desire to expand research and teacher exchange in the future in addition to student exchange. Associated Professor Xu Jun who has visited the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and Mr Xu Yang, teacher of the Dramatic Literature Department who has got a master’s degree from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, also participated in the meeting. Before the formal visit took place, Associate Professor Katrine Heggstad of the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences conducted a workshop for students majoring in theatre education at the Dramatic Literature Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
