President Li Jiajun Attends U.S.-China University Presidents Roundtable

On November 18, 2013, U.S.-China University Presidents Roundtable was held at the University of Chicago featuring 22 university leaders from both countries for discussion on higher education. Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong attended the meeting and gave a keynote address. On behalf of Chinese universities, Tianjin University (TJU) President Li Jiajun addressed the meeting on the internal governance of the universities. After the meeting, President Li visited the Johns Hopkins University.

During her address, Vice Premier Liu recalled China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges dating back 100 years as well as the important roles the exchange had played to the development of modern China. Especially, she highlighted increasingly close exchange and cooperation between American and Chinese people since the establishment of Sino-U.S. diplomatic relations and especially since Chinese reform and opening up. “Cooperation and exchanges between universities have built a bridge of friendship between our two countries and become one of the most closely related and effective areas in our people-to-people exchanges,” she said. In addition, she emphasized the importance of exchanges on education and research in the construction of a new type of relationship between the two great powers of China and the U.S., as well as the determination of Chinese government on further promoting education reform and opening up. She noted that Chinese higher institutions, with relatively short history of systematic higher education, hope to learn from the American world-class universities on their development experience. Moreover, she hoped that the higher institutions between the two countries could further develop cooperation and promote people-to-people exchanges, playing the part of talent pool in the construction of China-U.S. new type relationship and more important part in solving the global challenges.

In the following discussion, Chinese and American university presidents, especially American ones, responded positively to Vice Premier’s remarks. Participants had effective discussions focusing on University Relationship with the Government, University Relationship with the Society, and Internal Governance of Universities. On the topic of Universities’ Internal Governance, President Li pointed out in his speech that four relationships could not be ignored to make Chinese universities internal governance structure perfect. One is the relationship between the system of collective leadership and principal’s responsibility. The second is the relationship between administrative and academic authority. The third is the relationship among academic organizations. And the last is the relationship between institutions and students. President Li stated that the internal governance structure, as an important part in the construction of modern university system, needs continuous improvement in practice. Relationship among various stakeholders must be dealt well with to give full play of their enthusiasm and creativity. Meanwhile, the internal governance structure in line with the development of universities must be implemented properly, and the relationship between the responsibility and-authority among different stakeholders should be handled carefully so as to better complete the mission of the universities. President Li’s speech brought the active interaction among the presidents of the two countries. They also discussed the role of culture in the universities’ internal governance as well as the challenges university presidents are facing.

American attendees to the roundtable included President Robert J. Zimmer of the University of Chicago,President David W. Leebron of Rice University,President Elect Thomas F. Rosenbaum of the California Institute of Technology,President Michael K. Young of the University of Washington, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton of Washington University in St. Louis,President John Sexton of New York University,President R. Bowen Loftin of Texas A&M University,President Richard H. Brodhead of Duke University,President John I. Jenkins of the University of Notre Dame,President Elect David A. Greene of Colby College, and Director Nigel Lockyer of Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory). Chinese participants also included Presidents from Peking University, Jilin University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the East China Normal University, Zhejiang University, Wuhan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Chongqing University, Sichuan University, and Xi’an Jiaotong University.