On September 7^th, the Presentation Ceremony of 2016 Shanghai “Magnolia Silver Award” was held by the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. In the company of Mr. Guo Qingsong, Vice-president of Shanghai Administration Institute (SAI), Professor Giovanni Tria, former President of National School of Administration (SNA) of Italy and now the head of the School of Government of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, attended the awarding ceremony. Mr. Zhang Xiaosong, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, granted the medals and certificates.

    The “Magnolia Silver Award” was established by Shanghai Municipal People’s Government to honor foreign experts and partners for their contributions to Shanghai’s friendly exchanges, economic construction and social development. These foreign experts unremittingly devote themselves to the economic and social development of Shanghai and regard this city as their second hometown, promoting cooperation and communication between Shanghai and other parts of the world. This year 50 from 19 countries are award winners. Prof. Tria, one of the winners, was recommended by SAI.

    Tria has played an active role in promoting bilateral cooperation between SAI and SNA in fields of civil servants training, scientific research, bilateral academic seminars and international conferences since he took the position of president of SNA. The two institutes kept a fruitful interactive relationship, thereon, made concerted efforts to accomplish a series of collaborative programs, which constructively enhanced the internationalization and reputation of SAI in the world.

    Mr. Wang Guoping, Executive Vice-president of SAI, expressed his warm congratulations to Tria on behalf of SAI. Meanwhile, and he conveyed his gratitude to him for the long-standing efforts that Tria has made to stimulate the academic exchange between SAI and SNA. With Tria’s support and assistance, Italian government officials and experts paid periodical visits to Shanghai, attended bilateral seminars and round-table discussions on hot issues with SAI’s professors and experts of SAI, and relevant civil servants of Shanghai as well, to explore common sense on economic and social development. Tria thanked Wang since SAI strongly recommended him for the Magnolia Silver Award, and he said that it was a great honor for him to win this award.

    At present, Tria is a full professor of economics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. He is also a member of board of CEIS (Center for Economic and International Studies) and School of Government of Rome Tor Vergata. He will lead the delegation of Rome Tor Vergata to visit SAI again at the end of this September, to explore potential cooperative opportunities of SAI and Rome Tor Vergata in aspects of historic and cultural relic’s protection, health-oriented economy and government procurement.

    Tria is the third foreign expert who were honored Magnolia Silver Award by SAI’s recommendation, following Dr. Hudson of University of Oxford and Prof. Saich of Harvard University, who won this prize respectively in the year of 2013 and 2014.