The opening ceremony of the first Nanjing University “Global Vision Week” and the seminar on the theme of “Developing World Class Universities in the New Era” kicked off on the university’s Xianlin Campus on November 10.
The Week, which went from November 9 to 18, attracted more than 100 participants from nearly 40 partner universities and institutions, who were gathered to engage in varied cultural, academic and training related exchanges.
The event focused on deepening cooperation and strengthening relationships between Nanjing University and other world-class partner universities.
NJU’s assistant president Pu Lijie presided over the opening ceremony.
At the meeting [Photo: Wang Hongbing]
Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and NJU President Lyu Jian gave welcome remarks and delivered a keynote speech on “Times and Reforms: ‘Paradigm Shift’ and ‘the First Nanjing University.’”
Lyu believed that a university should foster its distinctive educational philosophy and governance system through its interaction with the rest of the world. It should fulfill its mission of talent cultivation, scientific research, social service, and cultural inheritance and innovation, so as to promote national prosperity and renewal and advance human civilization.
At present, Lyu pointed out, China is increasingly in urgent need of higher education, scientific knowledge and excellent talents. Therefore, China’s universities have to explore, while honoring their traditions, new models, systems and roles for the development in the new era, and find a Chinese approach that taps into their own resources to help build China into a nation that is powerful in education, science and technology, and innovation.
China has made historic achievements in education in recent years, Lyu continued. General Secretary Xi Jinping has given the guiding principle to us educational workers in the new era at the National Education Conference, injecting strong impetus into our future work.
China’s higher education is bound to play a distinctive role in the development of world higher education and will undoubtedly contribute the “Chinese wisdom” and “Chinese solutions” to the shift of paradigm in universities in the new era.
Lyu Jian gives welcome remarks. [Photo: Wang Hongbing]
Over more than 100 years since its foundation, Lyu noted, Nanjing University has been sharing the same fate with the times and with the Chinese nation in its effort to seek national salvation and prosperity and seek scientific advancement, and it has been contributing significantly to the national prosperity and rejuvenation and social development.
At the moment, he said, Nanjing University, guided by Xi Jinping educational thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era, takes roots in China, and observes the law of education so as to pick up pace in building itself into a world-class university and promotes and leads the development of higher education in China through self-reliance.
He hoped all participants in the “Global Vision Week” will seize the opportunity to explore new paths and models for universities’ development and open up new prospects for cooperation among world universities so as to make greater contributions to the development of global higher education.
At the opening ceremony, Nanjing University signed cooperation agreements with University of California Irvine and Emory University, respectively. The agreements center on student cultivation, research innovation and other aspects.
Nanjing University signs agreements with Emory University. [Photo: Wang Hongbing]
Nanjing University signs agreements with University of California Irvine. [Photo: Wang Hongbing]
A number of university and institution leaders delivered keynote speeches at the seminar. Gary W. Marti, vice provost of University of California Irvine, stressed that the ADCs, by offering personal ability records that are completely digitized, work-related and informative, will enormously change the relations between higher educational institutions and the rest of society, and offer a chance of development for the higher education in China.
Executive vice-president (administration and finance) of Hong Kong University Dr. Steven J. Cannon held that administrators and leaders of universities should gain experience from enterprise operations and foster the unique style of leadership and management.
Vice trustee of Nagoya University Professor Masafumi Nakahigashi offered a solution to developing world-class universities in the new era by demonstrating the independent innovation program of Nagoya University.
Dr. Zhang Yan, director for Education in China, QS Global Education Group, explained in detail the indicator system of university ranking and presented proposals on internationalization of universities.
Jeffrey Lesser, director of Halle Institute for Global Research, Emory University, pointed out that Emory University encourages creative expression and global engagement and gives support for teachers’ and students’ research initiatives via its global network of relations, embodying its fulfillment of social responsibilities as a world-class university.
Paul Evens, director of Nature Research, Greater China, showed how Nature Research has helped research institutions develop research work and establish good reputations and expressed its determination to continue offering first class content, products and service and become a reliable partner of top universities in China.
In panel discussions, the participants gave speeches on “Social Responsibilities of Universities,” “Research Innovation and Cooperation” and “New Models and Practice on Student Cultivation.”
They noted that universities’ social responsibilities lie in the free spread of ideas through unbiased research to meet various social needs and that international exchange and cooperation enables universities to reinforce their complementary strengths and drive scientific innovation.
They believed that universities should rely on their own resources and develop new models to improve students’ comprehensive abilities.
The participants also had heated discussions on other related topics.
After the conference, the participants visited the art exhibition “Memories of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge,” Museum of Nanjing University, and Maker Space of Nanjing University.
During the visit, volunteers introduced Nanjing University’s history and its development in recent years, in particular, the achievements it has made in teaching, scientific research, entrepreneurship and innovation, and construction of campus culture.
The visitors spoke highly of NJU’s hardware and software infrastructure and took many photos.
It was reported that the Global Vision Week will also hold other events like “My Dream, My Love--Kyung-Hee Kim Invitation Exhibition” and Nature Research Academics Author Training.
(Source: News Center/Gan Xinyu, Gao Ya )
