Photo opportunities 10.10am,- 12 noon, Monday 24 March, University of Dundee Medical School, level 7 Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. 7.30pm. Monday 24 March, Hospitalfield House, Arbroath.
The University of Dundee is one of only four universities in the UK chosen to host a visiting group of young students from around the world as part of a global British Council campaign to showcase UK education.
The 32- strong group will be accompanied by a film crew and photographer throughout their 36 hour visit to Dundee later this month (23-25 March). The students will also be visiting Edinburgh on Tuesday, March 25 when activities will include a tour of Edinburgh Castle and a visit to Standard Life Assurance. The resulting footage, case studies and visuals will form part of a British Council international marketing campaign to highlight the best of UK education.
The students, who entered competitions organised in their own countries by the British Council to win a trip of a lifetime to the UK, will see the best of cutting edge teaching and research at the University of Dundee including hands on sessions in clinical skills with the Medical School recently named the best in the UK and in surgical skills with the team of international keyhole surgery pioneer Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri.
Later in the day they will see at first hand developments which are contributing to Tayside's increasing reputation in the creative industries and digital technology including the new £15 million animation laboratories in the School of Television and Imaging and an address from University of Dundee graduate, Entrepreneur of the Year and President of VIS Entertainment plc Chris van der Kuyl.
The students aged 16-18 from Brazil, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Malaysia will be welcomed to Dundee on Sunday 23 March with a reception at the city's newest hotel, the Apex at City Quay. As well as seeing the latest innovations in research they will be treated to the best of Scottish culture and lifestyle with an early morning training session beside the Tay with some of the University's top sporting students, breakfast courtesy of Dundee University Students Union, a presentation in Dundee Contemporary Arts and a ceilidh in the evening at Hospitalfield House, Arbroath, compered by BBC comedian and University Rector Fred MacAulay.
University of Dundee Communications Director Carol Pope said: 'This is a superb opportunity for the university and the local area to show the world the best we have to offer. Students play a vital role in our local economy where they spend over £50 million a year and the international market is an increasingly important one for universities and their localities. This exercise will guarantee our message of educational excellence and quality of life gets across, not just as a one off but in a sustained way over a period of time, to areas of the world Dundee might otherwise find difficult to reach."
The campaign, called 'Real UK', has been launched by the British Council, the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, as part of its work to promote the vibrant, modern and diverse aspects of the UK to students in other countries. The campaign has offered students from around the globe the chance to win a "trip of a lifetime" to the UK, during which they will meet range of inspiring personalities; visit leading companies and educational institutions and experience famous cultural attractions.
Mark Simmons, Market Development Manager for British Council Scotland said "Real UK is the latest development in the British Council's marketing campaign to increase international student numbers. The British Council has been working with universities in Scotland since 1996 to raise the profile of Scottish education world-wide and we have played a key role in raising international student numbers by 20%."
At the end of their UK tour the students and their hosts will attend a reception at the House of Commons with Baroness Helena Kennedy QC and Margaret Hodge MBE MP. The tour will also include activity in Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and London.
See Mexico daily diary at: http://www.britishcouncil.org.mx/spanish/education/realukBull1.htm
See Brazil photo diary at: http://www.educationuk.org.br/rcms/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm
By Jenny Marra, Press Officer 01382 344910 j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk