AU President honoured by Chinese University

October 22, 2008

Dr. Frits Pannekoek has been appointed Honourary Professor of Tianjin Radio and TV University in Tianjin, China. Dr. Pannekoek, who is also the president of the International Council of Distance Education (ICDE) was in Tianjin for a meeting of the Asian Association of Open Universities.

Subsequently, Dr. Pannekoek was in Shanghai chairing the Presidents' Forum of open and distance education institutions, a group that represents more than 20 million students world-wide. He was also a key note speaker at the subsequent Global Forum on post secondary learning and challenged participants to be more innovative in removing all barriers to post secondary learning.

"This came as a pleasant shock to me," said Dr. Pannekoek of his appointment as Honourary Professor. "Sir John Daniel, CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning and Professor Peter Jarvis, a leading British academic in the field of e-learning were also appointed. I'm very pleased to be in the company of these extraordinary global leaders."

Tianjin Radio and Television University is one of the larger provincial radio and TV universities in China. The Chinese Central Television and Radio Universities or CCTVRU, is the largest university system in the world, with more than two million students.

"I think that our future in China is tremendous," said Dr. Pannekoek, "There is a real and genuine interest in collaboration and cooperation. It is now time for us to enter the door that the Chinese educational establishment has opened up for us."

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Updated August 21, 2012