HONG KONG, February 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lingnan University welcomed nearly 200 higher education leaders from around the world to its Tuen Mun campus today (February 27). The visit was one of the main activities of the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) 2026 Conference and Exhibition. Through campus tours and interactive exchanges, Lingnan showcased its internationalized learning environment and innovative teaching facilities, actively highlighting Hong Kong’s unique advantages as an international higher education hub. The university has also promoted the “Study in Hong Kong” brand, which aims to attract more non-local students to study and work in the city. Senior management, academic staff and students at Lingnan explored opportunities to work with representatives from student exchange programs, research partnerships and talent recruitment.
Professor S. Joe Qin, Wai Kee Kau Chair and Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, addressed the distinguished guests, saying: “The university’s Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment program has rapidly assembled a high-level engineering, artificial intelligence and data science faculty, excelling in innovation and enjoying great international influence. research-oriented, comprehensive liberal arts university in the arts and sciences in the digital age, to foster closer collaborative relationships with the global higher education community, to attract more non-local talents to the Lingnan family, and to nurture future leaders with ambitious international vision.
There were presidents, senior executives and representatives from many of the world’s top 100 universities, as well as highly respected institutions such as Nanyang Technological University, KU Leuven, UC Berkeley, Korea University and the University of Warwick. Led by Professor Bradley R. Barnes, Special Advisor to the President for Internationalization and Director of Global Education at Lingnan University, accompanied by a group of Lingnan students, the delegation toured campus facilities that embody cultural diversity and toured student residences. The tour demonstrated how exchange students from around the world interact with faculty and peers at Lingnan University through shared spaces and residential activities, and learn to appreciate the spiritual values inherent in Chinese culture.
The delegation also visited the new Wu Jieh Yee Lingnan Hub, a multi-purpose complex designed for shared living and contact between faculty and students, and to encourage closer ties within the Lingnan community. They also visited the seven-story Lingnan Educational Organization building currently under construction, which will be equipped with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities and house the School of Data Science and the Interdisciplinary Research Hub, strengthening Lingnan’s academic and research excellence.
Seemi NISAR, a 4th-year economics student from Pakistan, shared her learning experience during the exchange session: “The past few years can be summed up in one phrase: ‘stepping out of my comfort zone.’
Zhansaya MAKHAMBETALIYEVA, a first-year data science student from Kazakhstan, added: “Lingnan offers a learning environment that combines rigorous academic training with diverse extracurricular experiences, allowing students to challenge themselves and gain a sense of accomplishment in a multicultural setting, beyond the classroom.
Lingnan University supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China to build Hong Kong into an international post-secondary education hub and promotes the “Study in Hong Kong” brand. The university’s international influence has grown, and it ranked first globally for SDG 4: Quality Education in the Times Higher Education (THE) Global University Impact Rankings 2025. For the first time, Lingnan was also among the world’s top 301-350 universities in THE 2026 World University Rankings, and its international outlook ranked 47th. More than 20 percent of Lingnan researchers are on Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2 percent scientists.
The APAIE Conference and Exhibition, one of the three most successful international education conferences, is sponsored and organized this year by the eight Hong Kong universities funded by the University Grants Committee. Themed “Asia-Pacific Partnerships for Global Good,” the event will bring together more than 3,000 higher education leaders and experts from more than 70 countries and regions to explore critical issues and emerging trends in higher education. The APAIE Conference and Exhibition will also include pre-workshops, keynotes, side sessions, panel discussions, networking functions and visits to local university campuses.
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SOURCE Lingnan University
