On November 7, 2025, Prof. Valerie Heffernan, Dean of the School of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Maynooth University (Ireland), and Mr. Brendan Tighe, Director of the International Relations Office, visited the SFL. Prof. Zeng Xiangmin, Director of Teaching Affairs; Associate Professor Li Qingcheng from the Regional and Area Studies Center; and Ms. Zhang Juyan, Head of the English Department, attended the meeting. This marked Prof. Heffernan’s second visit this year, with discussions notably more pragmatic and productive than her previous visit.

In-depth discussions were held on the cultivation of internationally competent talent, and a strong consensus on future cooperation was reached. They agreed to deepen collaboration in three main areas: expanding short-term student exchange programs to build platforms for intercultural learning; advancing a dual-master’s-degree joint training program, enabling credit recognition and resource sharing; and establishing a regular faculty exchange mechanism to promote mutual learning in teaching and research.

Both parties confirmed that they would expedite the signing of a memorandum of understanding to ensure that all cooperation initiatives are implemented effectively. This visit further consolidated the foundation for collaboration between the two universities, broadened international development opportunities for students, and contributed to enhancing the SFL’s level of internationalization.