Asia’s First Underwater College Launched at LNU-Lingnan Normal University•Chinses

Released on: July 15, 2016 Source: Press Center View count: 121

LNU Press Center News: The launching and unveiling ceremony of Asian Underwater College, an institution co-founded by LNU and Zhanjiang Diving School of General Administration of Sport of China, was held in LNU’s concert hall on the morning of July 1. World Underwater Federation’s President ARZHANOVA Anna, Secretary General BACCOUCHE Hassan, Asian Underwater Federation’s President Shi Bo, Secretary General Huang Liji, Deputy Director of the Training Bureau of General Administration of Sport of China Lv Tiehang, Deputy Head of the Education Division of Science and Education Department Luo Jianbin, Deputy Mayor of Zhanjiang People’s Government Liang Zhipeng and LNU’s Party Committee Secretary Luo Hai’ou, President Liu Minggui and other leaders jointly launched the college. All leaders and heads of the secondary units of Asian Underwater College also attended the ceremony presided over by Vice President Shao Lexi.

ARZHANOVA Anna said that the establishment of Asian Underwater College. She is of great significance to the development of water sports and the college would become a new driving engine for the development of underwater diving around the world. Shi Bo read the response issued by Asian Underwater Federation on the approval of the establishment of Asian Underwater College. He also declared on behalf of Asian Underwater Federation that they would provide great support in the future to promote the development of Asian Underwater College and help the college to set up its leading position in the diving arena by offering guidance in its development planning and the establishment of a high-level professional discipline system, supporting the founding of the Underwater Science and Culture Coordination and Innovation Center and the Asian Underwater Museum, assisting the production of diving research special journal, and making joint efforts to set the standard for diving industry.

Lv Tiehang said in his speech that LNU would provide great support and assistance to Asian Underwater College in policy direction, business guidance and condition improvement with a view to cultivating world-class high-quality students for China’s engineering, science and recreational diving industry. Luo Jianbin read the congratulatory letter sent from the Science and Education Department of General Administration of Sport of China. Liang Zhipeng expressed his hope for the new college to stick to the future direction for offering education, the commitment to serving the local community and the orientation of innovation-driven coordination. He promised that the Zhanjiang Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government would create an enabling environment for the development of the college.

Luo Hai’ou read the Notice on the Establishment of Asian Underwater College issued by LNU and Zhanjiang Diving School of General Administration of Sport of China and the Notice on the Appointment of Presidents of Asian Underwater College. He awarded Letter of Appointment to Liu Minggui and Zhang Xiaoshuang, who would serve as President and Executive President of Asian Underwater College respectively. Liu Minggui awarded Letter of Appointment to World Underwater Federation’s President ARZHANOVA Anna, Secretary General BACCOUCHE Hassan and Asian Underwater Federation’s Secretary General Huang Liji for appointing them as consultants of the college.

In his remarks, Liu Minggui said the establishment of Asian Underwater College embodies three characteristics: high starting point, new model and gap filler. The college sets out from a high starting point as it is supported by World Underwater Federation, Asian Underwater Federation and General Administration of Sport of China; initiates a new model of talent development featured by integration between sports and education and between cultivation and training, as it builds on in-depth cooperation and innovation-driven coordination with Zhanjiang Diving School of General Administration of Sport of China, a world-class sports school, in the offering of undergraduate programs to draw on each other’s advantages and achieve integrated development; fills the gap, domestically and internationally, of the lack of bachelor degree holders majored at diving, as it is a underwater college devoted to train diving professionals graduating with a bachelor degree in a regular institution of higher learning.

It is learnt that, the discussion between the two sides on a joint effort to develop professional diving talents took place in as early as 2011. In 2013, Zhanjiang Diving School began to enroll diving discipline students. After years of development, its first undergraduate students majored at diving joined the workforce before graduation. The school established the first underwater exhibition center in Asia and its research projects obtained national or provincial level approval and funding support. On the basis of all these initial achievements, LNU and Zhanjiang Diving School of General Administration of Sport of China co-founded Asian Underwater College in an approach featured by coordination and innovation.

Led by innovation-oriented coordination, Asian Underwater College will put in place a multi-entity coordination mechanism to effectively integrate quality resource, with a view to evolving the school from a high starting point to a high standard and level; establish the Underwater Science and Culture Coordination and Innovation Center into a platform where experts inside and outside the college and at home and abroad gather together for researches on diving for recreation, expedition, public security, engineering and other fields to fuel the development of worldwide application of diving science; build on a joint talent training platform a system to develop globally-oriented world-class divers under the programs including bachelor degree and vocational education and short-term training, so as to meet the broad domestic and international market; with Asian Underwater Exhibition Center and diving publications as the key arena, facilitate the researches on Chinese and western underwater culture and history of marine environmental protection to boost the popularization and inheritance of the world underwater culture in full swing.

In the afternoon, a discussion about the plan to develop “Asian Underwater College” was held between leaders of the college and the expert penal headed by Professor Chen Peijie, Director of Shanghai Research Institute of Sports Science. The discussion is aimed at collecting suggestions for the development of the college.

The establishment of Asian Underwater College not only turned out to be top popular news among the online social platforms of LNU people, but also raised wide attention as it was reported by 37 media including CCTV, CHINANEWS.COM, Lesports, Southern Daily, GRT Satellite Channel, Zhanjiang Daily, Zhanjiang Evening and Zhanjiang TV.