An Honorary Doctorate Degree was conferred upon Dr. Peng Long, President of the Beijing Foreign Studies University in a special ceremony on October 6 at SolBridge.

“I am very happy to stand here and meet with you today. I am an old friend of Woosong University. I’ve visited here many times during the last decade, and witnessed the fast development and various achievements,” Dr. Long said in his address to faculty and students. “However, this is my first time to visit as President of Beijing Foreign Studies University, and represent BFSU to congratulate the Woosong Educational Foundation on its 60th anniversary.”

Beijing Foreign Studies University, which was founded in 1941, was among the first group of universities to enter the top 100 universities of the 21st century in China. The school also has a number of top rankings in China, such as, one of the top ten universities which are the most difficult to enter, one of the top five universities with the highest satisfaction of students, and one of the top ten universities whose graduates receive the highest salary.

Additionally, BFSU is called “the cradle of Chinese diplomats”. There are about 400 ambassadors and 1000 counsellors from BFSU to date. In 1979, the United Nations Interpreter Training Center was founded at BFSU and became one of the three largest UN Interpreter training centers together with Nairobi and Bangkok.

BFSU and Woosong University established a partnership in the field of business when he was the Dean of International Business School which eventually led to the dual degree program SolBridge and BFSU have today.

“I witnessed the birth of SolBridge International School of Business,” Long said. “Within 7 years, with the efforts of all the professors and students, SolBridge has become one of the most internationalized and specialized business schools in Korea.”

In 2010 when he was the Vice President and Dean of the international business school of BFSU yet, Chairman Kim Sung-kyung and Long worked together to establish the BFSU-SolBridge International Business School at BFSU. The program has been growing fast and has recruited more than 400 foreign students from 46 countries to receive English-based business education.

“As an old friend, whenever I visit here I see the efforts the university makes toward a dream for a better higher education and see all the changes in the campus facilities and instruction modes,” Long said in his concluding remarks. “It not only provides outstanding teaching conditions for the students, but also leads students to strive for excellence and a better life. I hope every student can make full use of the excellent conditions, work hard to realize self-perfection, and become a person with a sense of responsibility toward the future.”