On May 5th, International Forum on Creative Talents Nourishment and the Launching Ceremony of Yenching Academy were successfully held at Yingjie Exchange Center of Peking University (PKU).
More than 30 Presidents and Vice Presidents of 45 universities and colleges from America, Canada, England, German, Belgium, Mexico, Shou Africa, Australia,Japan, South Korean and other countries and regions attended the forum. Attendees from Peking University, Fudan University, Renmin University, Zhejiang Univeristy, Wuhan University and other famous mainland universities compare notes with participants from Stanford University, London School of Economics and Political Science , Free University of Berlin, University of Tokyo, National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong and other prestigious universities across the globe.
After the forum, the Launching Ceremony of Yenching Academy was held, unveiling the construction of Chinese studies as a discipline and the nourishment of talents specialized in the discipline.
On the opening ceremony of the forum, Prof. Wang Enge, President of Peking University, first extended warm welcome for university leaders coming from different parts of the world. He said that strengthening communication and dialogue among different higher education institutions and promoting cross-border cooperation serve as major steps to achieve nourishment of high quality talents with international perspective and the mission of higher education institutions. Then three sessions were conducted under the themes of “philosophy and strategies---new ways of Creative Talents Nourishment”, “system and technology--- new dimension of Creative Talents Nourishment ” and “international collaboration--- new model of Creative Talents Nourishment ”.
In the afternoon, university representatives from both China and foreign countries, renowned scholars from humanity and social science schools and departments of PKU, outstanding alumni of PKU and other public personage attended the launching ceremony of Yenching Academy. Started from multidisciplinary background and with subjectivity and internationalization as its mission, Yenching Academy strives to establish the academic field of Chinese studies in the context of globalization and to be a world leading teaching and research institution through recruiting world renowned scholars as faculty and excellent students. Students will be recruited among exceptional graduating undergraduate students from leading universities across the globe.
Besides, students will pursue a 1-year Master in Chinese Studies Degree Program taught in English with six concentrations to choose from: Language, Literature and Culture, History and Archaeology, Philosophy and Religion, Public Policy and International Relations, Economics and Management, and Law and Institutions.
On the launching ceremony, President Wang Enge delivered a welcome speech, Executive Vice President Liu Wei introduced the overall situation of Yenching Academy, and Vice President Li Yansong read the congratulatory letter of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Then Henry T. Yang, President of the University of California at Santa Barbara and member of Yenching Academy International Advisory Committee, and Gong Ke, President of Nankai University, delivered their greeting speeches respectively.
After the speech, Prof. Zhu Shanlu, Chairman of PKU Council, President Wang Enge, alumni, donors and presidents of overseas universities jointly inaugurated the Yenching Academy.
Translated by He Yicheng
