广东外语外贸大学——留学生教育学院
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) is one of the prestigious universities in China which specializes in international studies and one of the key institutions of higher learning in Guangdong Province in South China. The University was established in June 1995 through the merger of Guangzhou Institute of Foreign Languages and Guangzhou Institute of Foreign Trade. The former, one of three institutes of foreign languages in that era (the other two being Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages and Shanghai Institute of Foreign Languages) under the direct jurisdiction of the State Education Commission (presently Ministry of Education), witnessed its establishment in the year 1965. The latter was founded in 1980, and was one of the four institutions of international trade directly under Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (presently Ministry of Commerce).
The North Campus
The University is situated in Guangzhou, a city with a long history and rich cultural legacy and the economic hub in South China. It boasts three campuses, namely North Campus, South Campus and Dalang Campus, with a total area of 145 hectares. The North Campus, which covers an area of 55 hectares, is located at the northern foot of Baiyun Mountain; the South Campus, with an area of 73 hectares, is situated in Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre in Panyu District, Guangzhou; and Dalang Campus, having an area of 17 hectares, lies in Dalang, Baiyun District, Guangzhou. With fine surroundings featuring green trees, crystal streams, scenic bridges and fresh air, the University can well serve as an ideal place for teaching, learning and research.
The South Campus
Currently the University offers 52 undergraduate majors in 19 faculties and departments, which fall into 7 disciplines, namely literature, economics, management, law, engineering, science and education. Even as early as 1981, the University (then Guangzhou Institute of Foreign Languages) already had the qualification to confer MA degrees, and in 1986 it became eligible to award doctoral degrees. The University stands among those which enjoy such qualification and eligibility ever since the country resumed the postgraduate education programmes. Presently the University has one Post-doctoral Research Station, and offers one Category I discipline PhD programme, six Category II discipline PhD programmes, one Category I discipline MA programme, twenty two Category II discipline MA programmes and two Professional Master's Degree Programmes. Of all the degree programmes offered to the students, six are listed as key disciplines at the provincial level and one at the national level, and five typical major construction programmes are supervised by the Ministry of Education. Altogether, there are eight undergraduate education programmes recognized as distinguished at the provincial level. In addition, the University has two state-designated research centres, with one specializing in humanities and social science and the other offering training to students of Asian and European minor languages, as well as one state-level base for all-round cultural education of university students. There are also three key research centres in humanities and social sciences at the provincial level. What is more, there are three national-level distinguished courses, ten provincial-level distinguished courses and two academic journals which are listed among the one-hundred national social science journals with the greatest academic merit.
The University holds the motto of "Strive for Moral Integrity, Noble Conduct and Conversance with Cross-cultural Learning"and endeavours to promote the integration of foreign languages and specialties, cultivate talents who can pride themselves on one specialty with multiple skills and a global vision and a sense of innovation, so as to prepare them to become internationally-oriented personnel who can readily facilitate global cooperation and participate in international competition. Its quality of teaching and that of talent cultivation are widely acclaimed and well received. In 2003, the University was rated Grade A in the undergraduate programme teaching quality assessment conducted by Ministry of Education. It enrolls students from over 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country and from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan. As the University boasts curricula which can well cater for the needs of society. Graduates who are educated under these curricula are well received. As a result, GDUFS ranks among the best in terms of the employment rate of its graduates.
The University possesses advanced teaching facilities and a sound educational environment with fixed assets totaling RMB 2 billion yuan and with a laboratory area totaling 52,000 square meters. Its two newly-built libraries at the North and South campuses cover an area of 50,000 square meters with over 1.8 million books, 3,237 domestic or foreign periodicals or journals and 26 Chinese or foreign language network databases. In addition, the library has established an IT application-oriented academic information service system featuring flexible modes of service, advanced means of management and distinctive collections of books.
Presently, the University has a teaching staff of 1,016, among whom 45.1% are full or associate professors and 84.1% are master's or doctoral degree holders. In addition, it employs over 70 visiting professors and over 60 long-term foreign experts, many of whom have even become leaders of certain academic organizations at the national, provincial or municipal levels, editors or designated contributors of authoritative international journals in their specialized fields, or advisors of government organs at all levels or of certain institutions of higher learning or enterprises. It now has over 20,000 full-time students, among whom over 1,000 are MA or PhD students. In addition, it enrolls other types of students including self-taught students, refresher course students, students who receive training and foreign students learning Chinese, the number of which is over 10,000.
The University attaches great importance to, and actively conducts, academic and cultural exchanges with overseas institutions. At present, it has established links with 123 universities, academic institutions or cultural organizations in such countries and regions as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Canada, Australia, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Chile, Cuba, Peru, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.