Two International grad students receive prestigious scholarships from Government of China

By Greg Duck Posted: May 9, 2019 4:25 p.m.

(l to r) Livia Castellanos, AVP (International) & Chief International Officer (UR ILO); Gordon Huang, Canada Research Chair (Tier I), Professor; Xiong Zhou; Zehua Chen; Tony Yang, Professor; and, Minister Counsellor Changxue Yu celebrate at a reception on May 1. Photo: UR International

International students meet with representatives of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada.

Two University of Regina graduate students were each awarded one of the Chinese Government's most prestigious scholarships.

Xiong Zhou and Zehua Chen, two Chinese graduate students in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, both received the Chinese Government Scholarship Award for Outstanding Self-Funding Students at a reception on the University of Regina campus on May 1.

Established in 2003, the scholarship is presented annually to Chinese graduate students studying abroad who do not receive funding from the Chinese Government. Chinese students from around the world apply to The China Scholarship Council in Beijing who, in turn, select recipients based on their research and academic achievement. With only 500 scholarships awarded annually, it is considered to be one of the highest academic honours presented by the Chinese Government to graduate students.

"That the University of Regina attracts this calibre of international graduate student speaks to the quality of our graduate programs, as well as the excellence of our student research," says Livia Castellanos, Associate Vice-President (International) & Chief International Officer (UR ILO).

On hand to present the scholarships were Minister Counsellor Mr. Changxue Yu and Secondary Secretary Mr. Peng Xiao, from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada. International students also had the opportunity to "meet and greet" with special representatives following the reception.

"It was an honour to host representatives from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Canada. The fact that they made a special visit to the University to meet with students and present these awards in person is evidence of our strong and enduring relationship," said Castellanos.

Celebrating partnerships with more than 30 academic institutions in China, the University of Regina is home to more than 500 Chinese students engaged in studies throughout U of R's 10 faculties.