On the afternoon of September 18, a delegation of the International Advisory Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University visited Zhiyuan college to explore more about the Zhiyuan model and the training of undergraduate top-notch innovative talents. Members of the committee include: Professor Mark S. Wrighton Chancellor Emeritus, Washington University; Professor Bairbre Redmond Former Provost of Universitas 21, Former Vice President of University College Dublin; Professor Ramon Alexander Wyss Former Vice President, KTH Royal Institute of Technology Shanghai Jiao Tong University Administrative Departments; Professor Meng Hwa Er Former Secretary General of the Global Alliance of Technological Universities (GlobalTech), Former Vice President of Nanyang Technological University; Dr. Ross Lewin Associate Vice President, University of Maryland. Leading delegation from Department of Academic Affairs, International Exchange Office and Zhiyuan College, as well as four student representatives attended the conference, and Professor Weiliang Xia, Associate Dean of Zhiyuan served as the host.
Professor Junliang Zhang gave a report about the college, and he introduced the main progresses made in three aspects: curriculum construction, undergraduate innovative research practice system and student-teacher learning community.
After listening to the report, the expert team highly praised the talent-cultivation system Zhiyuan College, and made special inquiries on the aspects of their interests in the open discussion session, and put forward constructive suggestions and ideas. Professor Meng Hwa Er asked the about student selection, faculty recruitment and internationalization efforts; Professor Mark Wrighton put forward the thoughts of more diversification in the professional setting of disciplines, and mentioned that combining humanities and social science research may solve more challenging problems in the current society. Dr. Ross Lewin suggested that Chinese higher education should actively explore the group characteristics of the new generation, strengthen the cultivation of students' critical thinking ability, and constantly stimulate the innovative driving force of the new generation of scholars to promote new measures.
Professor Bairbre Redmond asked the students about their professional studies and research internships abroad. Chung Cheuk-ya, a Life Science student, shared her experiences and gains in the spring and summer semester at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Oxford respectively, expressed her appreciation towards the significant support of Zhiyuan College. Chen Shuze, a Computer Science major (JOHN Class) student, spoke highly of the "Growth Partners" International Summer School hosted by Zhiyuan this year. He said that by participating in this activity, he not only managed to learn more about frontier scientific knowledge, communicated with the world-renowned academic masters face to face, but also gained valuable opportunities for peer interaction and learning. Fu Jianning, a mathematics student believes that he has benefited significantly from the "student-centered" training system of the college, and the patient guidance of Zhiyuan teachers has helped him to clarify the future academic direction efficiently. Lin Chaofan, a Computer Science major (ACM Class) student, recalled his experience during the Global ACM Competition. He especially thanked the alumni for their help and guidance throughout the process, and talked about the growth of the Zhiyuan team with "mutual integration and pursuit of excellence". When asked about the life development plan for the next ten years, most of the students said that they would continue to work deeply in their professional fields, hoping to become a scientist contributing to social development in the future.
The International Advisory Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University was established according to the need of the university to build a "Global Jiao Tong University" strategic system. The purpose is to provide strategic consultation for the new development of SJTU from the perspectives of administrators of world-class universities and university alliances, leaders of international organizations, and experts in international education research and evaluation; aiming to achieve the integration of global consciousness, cooperation and common progress of international school strategic goals. Through this survey, Zhiyuan showed the international experts the characteristics of China's top-noth talent cultivation modes in basic scientific disciplines, and the feedback of the experts also further broadened Zhiyuan’s visions and deepened understanding. Zhiyuan will continue to uphold the student-centered concept, make constant improvements, and continue to contribute to the meaningful cause of cultivating top-notch innovative talents in the new era.