On Friday, 21st March, at Riddel Hall, over 30 colleagues and student representatives from various sectors and disciplines participated in a forum focused on supporting international Chinese students at Queen’s. The event was held in response to the recently published HEPI Report (Ebel, 2024), which raises critical questions about whether Chinese students receive adequate support in UK universities.

Professor Peter Robertson, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion, delivered a warm welcome to the attendees, encouraging active participation in the discussions and reaffirming the University’s commitment to supporting international students.

Dr. Liang Wang, co-organiser of the forum, introduced the rationale behind the event and provided an overview of the programme. Professor Shuang Ren, Director of the DEIB Committee and lead organiser of the forum, chaired the panel discussion featuring six panelists from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Questions were also invited from the audience in response to the panelists’ discussions.

This was followed by breakout discussions over lunch, where attendees formed teams to explore one or more themes identified in a survey of Queen’s Chinese students and alumni.

To conclude, Dr. Lisa Bradley, Director of Graduate Studies at Queen’s Business School, provided a summary of the key discussion points and outlined potential actions to enhance support for international students at various levels through collaboration and partnership development.

This forum was a joint initiative organised by QBS DEIB Committee and The Language Centre, with support from QUB iRise Network.

Photographers: Tianpeng Yao, Liang Wang