ARU Peterborough’s first international students have been given an official welcome to the city – plus tea and cake – at a Town Hall reception presided over by the city’s Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
In total, approximately 120 international students, the majority from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Ghana, are studying postgraduate courses at ARU Peterborough, the city’s new university.
These students all arrived at ARU Peterborough at the start of this year and over 50 of them took part in the civic reception last night [Monday, 17 April] to formally welcome them to the city, which was also attended by officials including Rebecca Stephens from the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Business Board, and senior staff from ARU Peterborough.
The reception, hosted by Mayor Cllr Alan Dowson and Deputy Mayor Cllr Nick Sandford, afforded the students an insight into local politics and civic life. The event involved a tour of the historic Peterborough Town Hall, including a visit to the Mayor’s Parlour.
Peterborough Mayor, Councillor Alan Dowson, said: “We were delighted to officially welcome these students to Peterborough and to get the opportunity to find out how they were enjoying their courses and the city itself. The responses we received were heartening and a good indication of the quality of teaching at our new university. The students said they are enjoying living in our city, with many taking the time between lessons to visit our city centre, the Cathedral, library, shops and museum.”
The international students are enrolled on ARU Peterborough’s Masters programmes in International Business and Supply Chain Management, as well as some of the new undergraduate programmes, and more international students will study in the city in future years.
For Paz Awuah from Ghana, it is her first time in the UK. Paz, who is studying the MA in International Business, said: “Peterborough has been amazing so far and studying at ARU Peterborough is a totally new way of learning for me. My lecturers here make it interesting and make you want to listen to what they talk about, plus they aways having something new planned. I like the way of teaching in the UK and I’m even beginning to like the cups of tea, but I still prefer coffee!”
Student Ali Hussnain is from Rawalpindi in Pakistan and he is also studying the MA in International Business. Ali said: “The city has been really welcoming and the people over here are very friendly. Studying here is different to Pakistan. Here it is more self-study and the staff at ARU Peterborough are great at guiding you and giving you the direction that you need.”
Professor Ross Renton, Principal of ARU Peterborough, said: “Our students have been given an excellent welcome to the city by the community and civic leaders. They are thoroughly enjoying living in Peterborough, and we believe that having a diverse, international student body at the university is also a positive addition for the city.
“Of our first international students, almost 90% of them had never visited the country before arriving in Peterborough. The feedback from the students has been overwhelmingly positive and we can’t think of a better place for them to experience their first taste of the UK.”
Rebecca Stephens, member of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Business Board, said: “It was a really warm Peterborough welcome for the first international students of this exciting new university. The students really embraced the occasion, visiting the Mayor’s parlour, trying on his chains and snapping pictures wherever they went.
“Making Peterborough a more attractive place to study, work and invest for people globally were among the reasons why the Business Board helped fund the university in the first place. It is fantastic that ARU Peterborough has already had that pull and these ambitious, talented international students will bring so much to the city while they are here.”
ARU Peterborough is a partnership between Anglia Ruskin University, Peterborough City Council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
