The High-quality Development of Applied Universities (HDAU) Forum, as part of SDJU’s 70th anniversary celebrations, concluded successfully on the afternoon of October 6. Presidents from 15 applied universities nationwide, education experts, business guests, as well as SDJU faculty and students gathered in the forum, which themed on “Building a Strong Educational System, the Mission of Applied Universities.” The forum aimed to showcase educational achievements, exchange experiences, and chart paths for HDAU.
The forum opened with a welcoming speech by Lu Xionggang, Secretary of CPC SDJU Committee. Secretary Lu highlighted the vital role of applied universities in China’s higher education system and their mission to cultivate high-quality applied talents in line with our nation’s modernization strategy. He also underlined SDJU’s 70-year close ties with industry and its intertwined intimacy with industry during its development as well as SDJU’s firm commitment to the path of applied development, its continuous innovation and extensive experience along the way. Lu expressed our university’s readiness to collaborate in establishing a platform for mutual development in the Lin-gang Special Area (LG), and encouraged other institutions to deepen cooperation and make positive contributions to HDAU in China.
During the speech session, experts and presidents from Peking University (PKU), University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST), Shenyang University of Technology (SUT), Ningbo University of Technology (NBUT), and SDJU, shared their insights on HDAU concepts, experiences, and strategies. The forum was moderated by SDJU President Gong Siyi and Tung Hsin, Fujian University of Technology.
Prof. Guo Jianru from PKU Graduate School of Education delivered a speech on “New Trends of Industry-Education Integration (IEI) and Science-Education Integration (SEI) and HDAU” from an international perspective. He explored the origin, analyzed the system and growth path of applied universities. Prof. Guo stressed the wide spectrum (ecological system) concept, i.e., “three-education, three-integration and four-chain system” (three-education refers to three levels of education: vocational education, higher education, and continuing education; three-integration comprises vocational education-academic education integration, IEI, and SEI while four-chain refers to educational chain, talent chain, industrial chain and innovation chain), and each university should find its own place within this framework. To ensure high-quality development, applied universities should be deeply involved in local development, commit to IEI through industry integration, uphold SEI through technological innovation, and collaborate with government, industry, enterprises and academia
USST President Ding Xiaodong emphasized the integrated development of education, science, and talents with a systems approach. He highlighted the importance of promoting integration through SEI, IEI and talent pooling. President Ding also shared specific measures for the integrated development, citing examples from USST.
President Zhang Ke from SUT shared SUT’s development philosophy and practices regarding high-quality development, particularly in building first-class academic disciplines. President Zhang suggested that addressing problems related to discipline development and talent training requires comprehensive planning, enhanced incentives, in-depth connotative development, and dedication to the comprehensive revitalization of local economy. He also explicated SUT’s five projects for high-quality discipline construction, including discipline system, talent cultivation system, support system, evaluation system, and management system.
During the HDAU Forum, NBUT President Shao Qianjun analyzed the opportunities and challenges confronting applied universities and shared the exploratory practices of NBUT in integrated development, including discipline and major, faculty team, and talent cultivation. President Shao emphasized the essentiality of applied universities taking industrial development seriously to build first-class academic disciplines. He also stressed the significance of SEI and IEI as pathways for applied universities to realize high-quality development, and that education reform and innovation and entrepreneurship education should be based on these integrations.
SDJU President Gong Siyi elaborated on the mission of applied universities in the new era. She presented the Fivefold Logic and path for HDAU. President Gong shared SDJU’s explorations in Party building, talent cultivation, research innovation, faculty, international cooperation, and IEI. President Gong also outlined future strategies and measures for SDJU’s reform and development. And she emphasized our university’s commitment to openness, innovation, and integration and dedication to achieving both quantitative growth and qualitative enhancement in high-quality development.
During the roundtable discussion, leaders from Nanyang Institute of Technology, Kaili University, Kunming University, Nanchang Institute of Technology, and Shandong Jiaotong University, engaged in lively discussions and exchanged ideas regarding HDAU and IEI.
The primary purpose of this forum was to provide a platform for communication and dialogue among applied universities, enabling them to share theoretical insights and practical experiences related to high-quality development. The success of the forum facilitated mutual learning and reference among the participants, strengthened policy communication and resource sharing between them, and provided new ideas and approaches for HDAU.
