The joint engineering partnership between the University of Pittsburgh and China’s Sichuan University reached its groundbreaking milestone on July 2, 2014. Provost Patricia Beeson was joined by Xie Heping, president of Sichuan University, and members of the leadership teams from both institutions, to announce the beginning of construction.
The $40-million project will establish the Sichuan University Pittsburgh Institute, a 100,000-square-foot building on Sichuan’s campus, which will educate undergraduate engineering students and foster collaborative research. The Institute will enroll its first class of students in fall 2014.
Joining Provost Beeson at the event are Pitt’s Larry Feick, senior director of international programs; Greg Marcus, section chief at the US Consulate in Chengdu; and Prof. Gerald Holder, dean of the Swanson School of Engineering (fourth through second from the right).