On March 25th, 2014, Higher Education Planning in Asia Conference was held at Peking University .Jeffrey Sean Lehman, founding dean of the Peking University School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen, delivered a keynote speech during the conference.
“International strategic planning varies among different universities. Universities should look for their own way of internationalization according to their own history. In Peking University’s efforts towards this goal of establishing itself into a world-class university before 2020, it should pay more attention to its history and its close association with Chinese culture, politics, and society because it is the best place for the whole world to know China as a country with 5,000 years of ancient civilization. Peking University does better than many counterparts in its pursuit for freedom but it should not be contented with the status quo. What Peking University should focus on is how to make some breakthroughs and lead this nation into a brighter future because Peking University represents Chinese history and culture.”
Background Information
The Higher Education Planning in Asia Conference was founded in 2002 by institutions in Asian and the Pacific Region. The conference's goal is to provide a platform for the interactions and networking among university planners and administrators. The first forum was held at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 2012. The theme of the 2012 forum is "Building a World-Class University — The Role of Planning Professionals." The second forum was held at Kyung Hee University, Seoul, which focused on "Towards Excellence: From Plans to Reality". The next HEPA Conference will be held in Singapore.
Jeffrey Sean Lehman is an American scholar, lawyer and academic administrator. He is currently serving as Vice Chancellor and CEO of startup joint venture New York University Shanghai. Known as an advocate for a proactive role of universities in globalization, he previously served as Chancellor and Founding Dean of the Peking University School of Transnational Law in Shenzhen, China, President of Cornell University, Dean of the University of Michigan Law School, and Chair of the Board of Internet2, a non-profit computer networking consortium.
Written by: Sun Qisheng
