Gerard Mols awards UM scholarships in China,Chinese students from earthquake area are welcome in Maastricht

Four talented students from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in Chengdu and the Chongqing University in Chongquing will start their master’s studies in Maastricht with a scholarship from Maastricht University.

Rector Magnificus Prof. Dr. Gerard Mols recently visited China to award the UM scholarships to Chen Wenlin, Dan Mao, Wei Duan en Yang Qixin. They are all from the region of Sichuan, the area that was stricken by an earthquake last year. The UM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with both universities to improve the exchange of knowledge and talent between China and the Euregion.

Dan Mao is coming to do the master's in Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Management at the Faculty of Law. Wei Duan will start at the Graduate School of Governance with the master's programme in Public Policy and Human Development and Chen Wenlin will begin the new master's, Global Supply Chain Management and Change, UM department in Venlo. They are all from UESTC. Yang Qixin from the Chongqing University will begin the master's in Management of Learning at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.

Interview with the winners of the UM scholarship:

Dan Mao (age 21) is studying Law at UESTC. She wants to do the master's in Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Management in Maastricht.

“When the earthquake occurred, I was having a siesta in my dormitory. All of us were shocked. One of my friends’ home was just in Wen Chuan where the earthquake was strongly felt. At that time there was no telephone signal so we couldn’t communicate with our families. The feeling of fear and sorrow came to us all. During the time of the earthquake I learned to live strongly and to cherish all lives and to cherish the time with my family and my friends.”

“I want to study Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Management because I am interested in intellectual property rights (IPRs). My first interest came from a handbag that somebody sent to me. It was a counterfeit of a well-known brand, and that’s when I noticed that many counterfeits are traded in the market. As I started to take courses related with IPRs, I realized that China is encountering many challenges with intellectual property rights.

There are also many problems with pirating. There are many bottlenecks to technological development in our country as China is calling on independent innovation. China's young people should master the principles of international protection of IPRs to avoid infringing others’ interests and protect ourselves. I think we should have a deep understanding of the system of IPRs, from both our Chinese point of view and from other perspectives to clearly see our shortcomings. After graduation, I am planning to work. Once I have enough experience, I would like to do a PHD.

Wei Dan (age 24) is studying Management, Science and Engineering at UESTC. She wants to do the master's in Public Policy and Human Development in Maastricht.

“It was a shock to me when the earthquake occurred and my hometown (Peng Zhou) was near the epicenter. Thousands of people were killed and millions of people who lived in the affected area became homeless. Luckily, all my family members were safe, and there was little damage to our house. From that time on I have a greater appreciation of the value of life and cherish every day being with my family.”

“I have had an interest in public administration since childhood. I grew up in a residential compound where most people were civil servants, including both of my parents. During that time, I witnessed how critically important the government’s role was in mitigating disasters and reducing fatalities, as with the 1976 earthquake in Tangshan. Yet I observed, while serving as a volunteer, that within the public administration capability there is still great opportunity in secondary cities, like my hometown area.

I have recently learned to value diversity in the China public administration. The portion of women at the public administration management area is very small in China and is even decreasing. As a woman, I have the advantage in terms of gender diversity and I can serve as a role model to help and inspire more women like me who have a passion for public policy. After my study in Holland, I am planning to apply for a PHD study and then look for a job in the public administration area.”

Yang Qixin (age 25) is studying Human Resource Management at Chongqing University. In Maastricht he will do the master's Management of Learning.

“I will never forget May 12th, 2008. That day, a strong earthquake struck my hometown, Suining city in Sichuan Province. Suining was severely affected by the Wenchuang Earthquake, which killed 27 people and injured 402. Although the city was sparred, the earthquake did a lot of damage to the vast rural area in Suining. Because Suining is an agricultural district there are a lot of old, poor houses which collapsed. I witnessed this tragic scene myself, and grieved at the deaths of so many people.”

“I have been studying Human Resource Management (HRM) for about 6 years, and the management of learning is an important part of HRM. In the future education will become increasingly important for any organization, and this led me to choose the Management of Learning master's programme.

After graduation I want to come back to my hometown in Sichuan province. I expect that I can use my skills and knowledge to help reconstruct Sichuan. I hope that Sichuan will become more prosperous through our endeavors.”