HIT News (Zhang Yan/ Text Lan Rui / Picture) On October 12th, First-class University Construction Series Seminar - 2018 and the “China University Presidents Meeting” were grand held in the auditorium of the Harbin Institute of Technology Museum. Representatives from 12 universities: C9 Union University and the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology gathered at Harbin Institute of Technology to thoroughly implement the spirit of the National Education Conference, to discuss the education modernization cause for 2030, and to jointly explore the construction of the education power and the world-class university with Chinese characteristics in the new area.

Sun Dongsheng, Vice Governor of Heilongjiang Province, Zhao Guogang, Secretary of the College Working Committee of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Provincial Department of Education, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Provincial Department of Education, Xu Zhongbo, Deputy Director of the Department of Degree Management and Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Education, Yan Weige, Deputy Director of the Department of Personnel Education, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Li Jian, Director of the Second Branch of Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Finance , Lin Zhongqin, President of Shanghai Jiaotong University, Lv Jian, President of Nanjing University, Wu Zhaohui, President of Zhejiang University, Bao Xinhe, President of China University of Science and Technology, Wang Shuguo, President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Zheng Qinghua, Vice President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Wang Yanglin, Vice President of the Peking University, Wang Xiqin, Vice President of Tsinghua University, Xu Lei, Principal Assistant of Fudan University, Duan Chongzhi, President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Gao Weiyuan, Vice President of the University of Hong Kong, Lin Wenyi, Vice President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Wang Shuquan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the HIT attended the meeting. Zhou Yu, the principal of HIT, presided over the opening ceremony.

Sun Dongsheng pointed out in his speech that at present, Heilongjiang Province is at the critical stage of developing with various opportunities to make significant achievements. To implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the important speech of revitalization of Northeast China, it is urgently needed to promote the transformation and upgrading of economic development by the talents and scientific and technological innovation, and make a solid and strong real economy relying on the driving of innovation. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government will continue to support the development of the colleges and universities. All participated universities are sincerely invited to cooperate with Heilongjiang Province in the fields of personnel training, scientific research and development, achievement transformation, and educational exchanges to promote the cooperation between provincial administration and universities to expand into a wide field at a high level, and to strive to create a good policy environment, social environment, development environment and business environment, which is not only conducive to the industrialization of university technology achievements and but also can stimulate talents to innovate and start a business. The administration and universities will achieve win-win cooperation by resource sharing and complementary advantages, and work together to contribute to achieve comprehensive and all-round revitalization in Northeast China.

Xu Zhongbo pointed out in his speech that as the pioneers of China's higher education, 12 universities should play the role of demonstrating and leading for the domestic universities in the construction of world-class universities. The 12 universities should actively launch Chinese voices on the international stage for expanding China's influence, and show “first-class” in serving the demands of national strategy and solving the major problems of human development. Furthermore, they should cultivate first-class innovative talents, and produce first-class achievements in scientific research. They should base on their characteristics, give play to their advantages, and make innovative development. It is necessary to grasp the current synergistic effect of major national strategies and the opportunities for exchange and cooperation such as the Northeast Revitalization, the synergetic development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the development of Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the construction of the bay area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Moreover, they should carry out the exchanges and discussions at different levels and different aspects in a deep-going way to effort to achieve the intensive development of China’s higher education. They should make notable contribution to lead the promotion of the overall level of China’s higher education so that China can be a power of higher education.

Wang Shuquan said in his speech that HIT always keeps in mind the entrustment of General Secretary Xi Jinping when he came to the school for inspection. HIT will firmly adhere to Xi Jinping’s new thought on the socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new area to arm mind, to guide practice, to promote the work, to unshakenly take root in the northern part of the motherland, and to unservingly explore the development path of “Chinese characteristics, world first class, and HIT spirit”. Stepping into the new era, something different need to be done in the new journey. The important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the National Education Conference has further strengthened the confidence of HIT to develop higher education with Chinese characteristics, which once again provided HIT with a source of power and fundamental basis to take root in China and build the world-class university. HIT is willing to work together with all the partner universities to march forward hand in hand, and take up the great responsibilities given by the part and people in the new area. HIT will contribute more to be decisive building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and to realize the great rejuvenation of Chinese nation.

Centre on the themes of “The Construction Path and Thinking of World-Class Universities with Chinese Characteristics”, “The Construction of Talent Cultivation System for High-level Undergraduate Education in the New Era” and “The Role and Effect of Universities in the National Innovation System”, the representatives of 12 universities shared their exploration and practice in the new journey of creating world-class universities with Chinese characteristics in the new area.

Building a world-class university with Chinese characteristics is the historical mission shared by the participating universities, and it is also the focus of universities. Nanjing University, Peking University, Zhejiang University and Harbin Institute of Technology have reported on the theme of “Construction Paths and Thinking on World-Class Universities with Chinese Characteristics”. Lv Jian, president of Nanjing University, interpreted the exploration and thinking on the new personnel training system, new discipline ecological system, and new engineering and professional system that related to the development of new engineering course in the report entitled “Thinking and Practicing of New Engineering in Nanjing University”. The report from Wang Yanglin, Vice President of Peking University, was “Opening the Border to Meeting the Change”. The report introduced how Peking University deepened the reform from the three levels of “school boundaries, discipline boundaries, and learning boundaries” to meet the challenges and changes of higher education. Zhejiang University has actively built a world-class comprehensive, research-oriented and innovative university with Chinese characteristics in the construction of “double first-class”. President Wu Zhaohui elaborated the series of explorations of Zhejiang University on strategic design, development path, and implementation advancement in the report of “Building an Innovative University: Development Path and Practice Exploration”. Zhou Yu, the president of HIT, gave a report titled “Serving the National Development Strategy, Constructing the Pattern of One School with Three campus”. In the report, he shared the exploration and practice of HIT that established the pattern of one school with three campus- in Harbin, Weihai, and Shenzhen based on the national development strategy in the new area, and the construction of a world first-class centennial university with strong education power with Chinese characteristics, and HIT spirit.

the goal of “new-age national development strategy” and facing the “Chinese characteristics, world-class, Harbin Institute of Technology” century-old strong school. Construction and construction of the exploration and practice of the three districts of Harbin, Weihai and Shenzhen.

In this symposium, half of the 12 universities and colleges focused on the theme of “building a high-level undergraduate education talent training system in the new era”, representatives from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Science and Technology of China, Fudan University, Hong Kong University, Xi'an Jiaotong University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology speak in turn. Lin Zhongqin, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, delivered a speech on “Building a High-level Undergraduate Education Talent Cultivation System in the new era – The Concept and Practice of Shanghai Jiao Tong University”, and based on the “four-in-one” talent training concept, expounded experience and vision of Shanghai Jiao Tong University through its results and cases in the construction of undergraduate education personnel training system. Bao Xinhe, President of the University of Science and Technology of China, made a report on “Socialist-minded and Professionally Proficient, Associating Science with Education, Training First-class Innovative Talents”. In his report, he explains that the University of Science and Technology takes talent training as the core, focuses on the goal of world-class university construction, and implements the fundamental tasks of strengthening moral education and cultivating people, and adheres to the characteristics of talent cultivation in combination of science and education, excellent education, and talent education. Xu Lei, assistant to the president of Fudan University, made a speech on the theme of “Being the First to Establish a First-Class Undergraduate Education System – Fudan University's Thinking on Building a High-Level Undergraduate Education Personnel Training System”. He introduced that in the process of accelerating the construction of “double first-class”, Fudan focuses on training first-class talents as the fundamental pursuit, and they have taken the lead in the implementation of the Fudan University 2020 First-Class Undergraduate Education Promotion Action Plan.

As the oldest institution of higher education in Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong is committed to attracting the best students, scholars and educators in an increasingly globalized world, and to foster innovative and forward-thinking talents to meet the major challenges of the world. Gao Weiyuan, vice president of the University of Hong Kong shared his view on “Innovative and Entrepreneurial Talent Cultivation @ UHK”. Zheng Qinghua, vice president of Xi'an Jiaotong University, made a report on “Setting High Moral Values and Cultivate People, Carrying Forward the Good Tradition and Seeking Innovation, and Building a First-class Talents Training System”. In his report, Zheng Qinghua analyzed the historical position and responsibility of China's higher education, and pointed out the four major challenges on the establishment of a first-class talent training system. He said that setting high moral values and cultivate people is the fundamental task of colleges and universities; carrying forward the good tradition and seeking innovation is the only way to create a first-class talent training system. Lin Wenyi, the vice-president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, made a report on High-level Undergraduate Education Talent Development System in the New Age. He proposes that today's education should not only provide effective training covering science, research and innovation, but also strive to nurture and expand students' international vision, ability to innovate and think critically, providing new solutions to global problems. What’s more, universities should provide students with a platform to achieve their dreams.

Tsinghua University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have paid close attention to the theme of “The Role of Universities in the National Innovation System”. Wang Xiqin, vice president of Tsinghua University, gave a report on “The University Mission in the National Innovation System – Tsinghua's Exploration and Practice”. He believed that the correct understanding of the essence of innovation and first-class universities is the prerequisite for determining the role of universities in the national innovation system, and it is also the premise of the university scientific research work and the personnel training mission. From this perspective, he then introduces the series of exploration and practice carried out by Tsinghua University from the aspects of deepening the scientific research and the reform of the personnel training. Duan Chongzhi, President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, believes that as a source and an institution of knowledge, the university has been involved in the construction of an efficient national innovation system, and has taken on the task of discovering, upgrading and applying knowledge. He has systematically described the Chinese University of Hong Kong in promoting research and exchange, the transformation and application of scientific research results and achievements, and how to support innovation and entrepreneurship, and promote the collaborative experience of academia and industrial society.

The “Building World-Class Universities Series Forum” began in 2003 and is held once a year and hosted by every school in turns. The conference aims to promote the building of world-class universities in China, explore issues, exchange experiences, promote inter-school cooperation, and build Chinese education brands. Since 2010, three universities of the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have been invited to participate in the forum. The heads of 12 universities made reports and discussed the theme of the conference. According to the important speeches that General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered during his visit to the colleges and universities, we should focus on the fundamental tasks of the setting high moral values and cultivate people, the connotative development of higher education, and learning from each other in accordance with the Chinese characteristics, world-class standards. We should draw on the good practices and experiences in the construction of double first-class, thus putting forward a series of new ideas on the reform and development of education.

Relevant leaders of the Department of Degree Management and Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Education, the Department of Science and Education of the Ministry of Finance, the Degree Committee of Heilongjiang Province, and the Education Department of Heilongjiang Province, the heads of relevant departments of the universities, the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of our school, Xiong Siwei, Vice Presidents Han Jiecai, Guo Bin, Xu Dianguo, member of the Standing Committee of the Party, Committee and Minister of Propaganda of HIT Wu Songquan, assistant principal Liu Liang and Liu Hong, principals of various colleges and related departments attended the meeting.