December 4, Duke Kunshan University was awarded ‘China’s Influential Brand for Sino-Foreign Joint Venture Universities’ for its unique approach to innovative education in China at the 2015 Xinhua Education Forum in Beijing. Attended by experts, scholars, media reporters and entrepreneurs from the education sector across the country, the annual forum this year focuses on innovative education and talent development in China. As an honorable guest of the event, Liu Jingnan, chancellor of Duke Kunshan University and member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, discussed and debated with leading experts from Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University and China Higher Education Society, on building world-class universities in China as well as offering innovative programs to develop entrepreneurship among college students.
What is the major difference between Duke Kunshan University and other Chinese universities? What are the missions and education philosophy of Duke Kunshan? In his speech, Chancellor Liu spoke passionately about these topics and shared the innovative practices and visions at Duke Kunshan University.
‘Traditional academic and administrative structure prevailing in Chinese universities is holding back the development of interdisciplinary programs,’ said Liu when he was asked how Duke Kunshan was set up differently. ‘In today’s world, it is impossible to solve a social, engineering, or environmental problem with knowledge only from one discipline. Therefore, Duke Kunshan abandoned the bureaucratic academic structure, with schools and departments structured around disciplines, to eliminate artificial barriers between students and scholars working in different fields. Instead, it established several research centers that are oriented around problems and demands, such as the Global Health Research Center, which has been in operation for two years, and the incoming Environmental Policy Research Center. Duke Kunshan University is trying to foster an interdisciplinary learning environment by optimizing its organizational structure.’
Chancellor Liu Discussing with Leading Experts in China’s Education Sector
Besides its breakthrough in organizational structure, vertical learning is another unique experience Duke Kunshan provides for its students, added Liu. ‘Our students, be them undergraduates, graduates, doctoral students or post-docs, are all required to work in the same team, on the same research project. We put a heavy emphasis on students’ participation in research projects led by our research centers and professors from the undergraduate stage. During the vertical learning process, we also stress the synergy between teaching and research, between different disciplines, and between different cultures ‘ this year, some of our global health students went to Africa, Middle East, Haiti and other underdeveloped areas for their field studies that were designed to broaden their global perspectives.’
In his speech, Chancellor Liu also elaborated on Duke Kunshan’s philosophy on fostering creativity and entrepreneurship. ‘Duke Kunshan aims to cultivate innovative talents through the integration of theory and practice. Through theories, we reignite students’ curiosity and stimulate their desire for exploration and innovation with critical thinking abilities. In practice, we collaborate with Duke University in running a Talent Identification Program (TIP) in Kunshan in the hope that students will not only think creatively, but also have the chance to translate these ideas to innovative products.’
About Xinhua Education Forum ‘China’s Voices on Education’
Sponsored by Xinhua net, the Xinhua Education Forum has become an annual must-attend event for people from the education field since its founding in 2010. The ‘China’s Voices on Education’ committee provides a credible composite ranking of schools and education institutions based on their reputation, public credibility and equipment resources.
