On the afternoon of October 30th, Professor Zhang Yaqun from Xiamen University came to our college and gave an academic report entitled "The Growth Road to a First-Class University." Professor Li Shenshen of our college chaired the report, and more than 60 teachers and students of the college listened to the report.
In the report, Professor Zhang Yaqun first suggested that universities should not just compare "size" rather than "learning." He put forward the standards of the first-class university and explained the standards as "broad and profound." Then, Professor Zhang described the characteristics of first-class universities, using cases of Harvard University, the University of Chicago, Stanford University, and Tsinghua University to suggest that General Education is the foundation of first-class universities. The "broadness" presented by undergraduate education and the "profoundness" presented by graduate education is the university's two promotion paths. Professor Zhang highlights that professional education has achieved the glory of first-class universities, and universities should enhance professional education. Finally, Professor Zhang proposed that universities should implement the integration of General and Professional education and link the two clusters orderly and tightly. After the report, Professor Zhang had an exchange and discussion with our students.
Zhang Yaqun, Ph.D., Professor from the Institute of Education of Xiamen University and Higher Education Development Research Center of the Ministry of Education, is a mentor for doctoral candidates and vice-director of Examination Research Center of Xiamen University. He is also a trustee of the University Education Quality Research Branch of the Chinese Higher Education Association. He is mainly engaged in history and theory for higher education, entrance examination, general education, and university culture. He has published four monographs, edited several books, and published more than 220 papers. His works have won many outstanding scientific research awards at the provincial and ministerial levels.
