Larry Symes, director of Information Services at the University of Regina, will be presented with the prestigious
Qilu Friendship Award at a ceremony in the city of
Jinan, Shandong province, China, on Nov. 25.
The award is presented annually to foreign experts who have contributed to the social development and economic construction
of Shandong, a province in China's northeast with a population of 90 million people. It was created to recognize
individuals who have helped promote the province's communication and co-operation with overseas organizations
Symes joined the University of Regina in 1970 and has held positions including professor of computer science, head of the
Department of Computer Science, dean of the Faculty of Science, associate vice-president (research), dean of the Faculty of
Graduate Studies and Research, and international liaison officer.
He has been instrumental in nurturing the relationship between the U of R, the City of Regina and China for more than 25
years. He supervised the first scholar who came from China to the U of R in 1979, has lectured at several Chinese
universities, and continues to assist the exchange of scholars and students.
The U of R twinned with Shandong University in 1982 and led the way for the eventual twinning of the Regina with Jinan.
Since then relations and business opportunities between Regina and Jinan have grown substantially. In 1982 Symes
established a lasting relationship with Jing Xinhai, founder of CVIC SE Software, which opened its new Canadian division
office in Regina in Aug., 2003. In 1998, he proposed and negotiated an agreement with the National People's Congress
(NPC), establishing the Qiao Shi Scholarship which brings NPC officials to Regina to study.
Symes has been a member of several delegations to Jinan and has helped negotiate a number of student exchange agreements
between the U of R and universities in Shandong and elsewhere in China. He also helped organize last month's delegation
to China, led by Premier Lorne Calvert, Industry and Resources Minister Eric Cline, and Regina Mayor Pat
Fiacco.
For further information or interviews, please call Sharon Brooks, at (306)585-5318 prior to Nov. 21, or Jim Duggleby at
(306)585-5439.