President Dr. Vianne Timmons says the University of Regina has been deeply shaped by its connections with China. “In many ways, our relationship with China has helped define the University of Regina, and there are not many universities in the world who can say that,” says Timmons. President Timmons recently opened the 2017 Joint Conference of Canadian Confucius Institutes held at the University of Regina, when the Confucius Institute Headquarters held its annual regional conference of Canadian Confucius Institutes.