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From Beijing to Bow Bells – UEL builds on Olympic spirit to establish links with China

Monday 10 July 2006

As East London prepares for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, academics at the University of East London (UEL) are developing working links with their counterparts in Beijing, where the 2008 Games will be held.

On Friday 6 July, a group of Chinese university leaders arrived at UEL’s Docklands campus and lecturers from the university’s School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies flew East to present a conference paper at Beijing's prestigious Renmin University.

The 35 Chinese university directors and vice-presidents visited UEL as part of a leadership course organised by Oxford University to provide them with an insight into the British Higher Education system.

The delegation were welcomed to UEL by Professor Gavin Poynter, Head of the School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies and author of ‘From Beijing to Bow Bells: measuring the Olympic effect”, a comparative study into the impact of the Olympics on previous host cities.

Prof Poynter said: “The success of London’s bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has had a tremendous impact on our region, and puts East London in the spotlight as never before. The challenge now is to learn from the experiences of other host cities, especially Beijing, so that we can best co-ordinate efforts locally and nationally to ensure the Games are a fantastic success that contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic regeneration of our communities.”

The Chinese delegates met Professor John Storan, Director of Continuum, UEL’s unique research centre for widening participation policy studies, and Professor Lizbeth Goodman, Director of SMARTlab, UEL’s Digital Media Research Institute.

Dr Iain MacRury, Principal Lecturer in Media and Advertising at UEL and Co-Director of the London East Research Institute, and Dr Andrew Calcutt, Lecturer in Cultural and Innovation Studies and Editor of on-line regeneration e-zine, Rising East, presented a paper on the initial results of ‘Carrying the Torch’, a long-term study of the impacts of London 2012 on the communities of East London.

The University of East London has forged close links with numerous leading universities and colleges worldwide and is now a global learning community with over 20,000 students from more than 120 countries.

Ends/.

For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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