THE television camera is rolling as Prof Miles is welcomed on stage by a young Chinese woman dressed in a shiny, cream evening frock and high-fashion stilettoes.

Her suit-clad co-host and fellow student, from the UK, introduces the professor to the crowd that has gathered in the auditorium at the University of Nottingham's campus on the outskirts of the modern east coast city of Ningbo, Zhejiang.

This is the regional final of a prestigious English-speaking competition, sponsored by one of the biggest newspaper companies in China and set to be broadcast soon to the world's most populous nation – a country where a staggering 300 million people are reportedly learning English as a second language.

The organisers from China Daily and its 21st Century weekly off-shoot, are so impressed with what they see on the day that they are already asking Prof Miles to consider hosting the national finals.

Never one to miss an opportunity, he immediately agrees that holding the 2012 grand finale at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) is an excellent idea.

It will raise the university's profile in China and reinforce the message that a UNNC education means students graduate with outstanding English language skills in addition to the many other benefits that come with UK degree programmes.

Prof Miles, who is overall head of the academic and educational operation here, kicks off proceedings with a welcome address.

After listening to some of the contestants, the professor makes a move. It is Saturday morning and he's got the shopping and cooking to do. His wife, Julie, has a busy weekend itinerary as a sports teacher for the local international school, so it is over to him to take care of the domestic chores.

Back at his comfortable two-storey island home on a river that weaves through the university's tree-filled campus, Miles changes out of his work clothes and makes a pot of coffee.

There are 15 minutes to kill before a bus will arrive to take staff to a cash-and-carry supermarket that specialises in imported food.

Like many other international staff members, Miles doesn't drive in China. Public transport and taxis are relatively cheap and owning and driving your own vehicle is not worth the hassle.

Prof Miles is not one for small talk or details of a private life. He prefers to ponder the big issues of the day.

BBC Radio 4 streams into his living room, bearing news of Europe's economic woes.

T he professor reflects on the satisfaction of running a growing university in a country with a robust economy.

It's eight years since Nottingham opened its doors as the UK's first joint venture university with full approval of the Chinese authorities. The student population has since grown from just over 250 to over 5,000.

Initially viewed by some as an experimental project, UNNC has proved so successful that the Chinese government has granted approval for at least a dozen more Sino-foreign universities as it rolls out plans to radically overhaul the country's entire education sector.

Announcements are made with increasing frequency of joint venture deals between Chinese and international universities.

Prof Miles isn't worried about rivals in the field.

"Competition is always good for everyone. We are unique – that's where the challenge lies. There are no ready-made answers," he says.

"We are very much at the forefront of educational developments here in China. Being a pioneer is exciting but can also be quite difficult.

"There are many rules and regulations here just like there are in other countries, but the rules don't cater for our unique model. We have to keep pushing forward in a positive way, understanding that the barriers are there because they have been designed for other purposes."

Prof Miles is UNNC's fourth provost and, like the other most senior staff members, is seconded from the university in Nottingham.

Although many of the more than 400 international staff members were recruited in open competition from the world's top universities and research institutes, key leadership at the university is deployed from the UK.

This is so that people with an institutional history and innate understanding of the organisation's culture can ensure that the practices, quality assurance standards and research ethos at the Russell Group university are implemented and maintained.

After all, the only difference between a Nottingham UK degree and a Nottingham Ningbo, China degree is the venue for learning.

The degrees are the same British degrees and there are opportunities for students who enrol at UNNC to spend part of their degree programmes at the university's UK and Malaysia campuses.

Prof Miles sees his role as implementing the university's broad vision, rather than developing an entirely unique strategy of his own.

"Plans are pretty aspirational stuff. Then you have to work the detail out. There's lots of variation around the detail," he says.

Although Prof Miles speaks about detail, it is clear that he doesn't get bogged down by it.

"Sometimes if you focus on individual issues, they become very big issues.

"You have to look at the bigger picture," he says of dealing with some of his daily challenges.

I n China there is much socialising to be done, with a constant stream of visitors from universities all over the world and occasionally, even, from China's top political leadership echelons.

A poster-size photograph of Prof Miles shaking hands with Premier Wen Jiabao, who presides over China alongside President Hu Jintao, has pride of place on the Miles family's dining room sideboard.

Prof Miles doesn't speak Mandarin and, like many of the other executives at UNNC, relies on personal translators.

He is sanguine about language and cultural barriers.

"We are hardwired the same, but we should respect cultural differences.

"Relationships are important, but this is not just about the spoken word. It is about body language and the things we do.

"Regardless of culture, it is important to show energy, commitment and passion in your endeavours and respect others."

Prof Miles never planned to come to China. An associate dean in engineering at Nottingham, the opportunity for a stint in Ningbo arose about two-and-a-half years ago when the search was on for a new dean of science and engineering.

He reflects: "China was in the media a lot. The focus of attention was clearly moving east. I thought UNNC sounded like an interesting place."

Soon after he arrived, he was promoted.

Miles says of the work environment at UNNC: "There are opportunities to show your colours and move into spaces here."

A mineral process engineer with extensive experience in working with industry, he has supervised over 40 PhD candidates to completion in his academic career.

"It is a wonderful experience working in China at such an exciting time in the country's development," he says.

"It is tremendously rewarding to see all the achievements of our students, a truly remarkable group of people who are making an impact on the communities around us and creating a positive impression among the employers who are hiring them for global businesses."

He admits to missing some aspects of living in the UK, like going to the theatre and other cultural activities.

However, like all the other international staff in Ningbo, he gets to travel around Asia and goes home at least once a year.

The shopping bus is about to arrive. The professor checks his watch and calls up his iPhone shopping list to make some additions.

It is time to join the small, cheerful, group heading to the supermarket as the weekend gets into full swing at one of the world's most extraordinary universities.