The 2018 Annual Academic Committee Plenary Meeting was held at the 7th-floor conference room in the Administration Building on December 26. Sias President, Chen Sikun, who is the Chairman of Sias' Academic Committee, Executive President, Wang Jialin, who is the Vice-Chairman of the Academic Committee, and Assistant Principal, Guo Xuede, headed the Meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Prof. Guo Xuede. He said that this was the first meeting since new structural changes in the Academic Committee had been made in November. He said that according to the regulations for Academic Committees from the Ministry of Education and the Constitution of Sias' Academic Committee, the role of the Committee in training, scientific research, discipline, faculty guidance, and academics, had increased.
President Chen Sikun, read out the notice that listed the changes for members of the Academic Committee at Sias International University and explained the division of labor within the Committee.
Executive President Wang Jialin presented a report related to education and teaching at Sias. He briefed the Committee on the implementation of specialties and courses in the past semester, the revision of undergraduate programs, provincial acceptance and declaration of private brands, the integration of information technology with teaching, and the establishment of grass-roots teaching organizations. He then put forward 6 suggestions for the next step in Sias' teaching:
- improving the layout of disciplines and specialties
- promoting the standardization of teaching management
- promoting the establishment of teaching informatization
- promoting the level of education with regard to internationalization
- learning from the experience of high-level universities in China and abroad
- strengthening the nurturing of teachers.
Assistant Principal Guo Xuede presented a report on the scientific research carried out at Sias. He first listed the achievements in scientific research made by Sias in 2018, and introduced several key tasks completed in 2018:
- the revision of the scientific research management system at Sias
- the organization, evaluation, and acceptance of key disciplines, including mid-term inspections and selections
- the trial operation inspection and identification of research institutions
- the coordination and organization of International Culture Week academic lectures and 20th Anniversary academic conferences.
He emphasized that in the first half of 2019, the organization of high-level academic conferences to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Sias were to be held to promote the long-term development of scientific research at the university. He stressed on the importance of increasing the investment, incentives, and culture of scientific research at Sias.
Reports were presented by several members of the Academic Committee that included constructive suggestions about a variety of issues, which led to lengthy discussions among the committee members.
Chen Sikun delivered the concluding speech during which he thanked all the members for their work during the past year. He pointed out that under the regulations of the Ministry of Education, it was particularly important for academic committees to play a comprehensive role in the management and governance of colleges and universities.
He said that Sias was in a good position for development in the next 20 years, and so, the Academic Committee was obliged to provide leadership and play leading roles in academic evaluation and discipline. He put forward 4 hopes and requirements:
- teaching is the foundation of the university, and scientific research should be prioritized because only through this could the level of teaching be improved
- focus on the management system of academics as well as faculty management
- the implementation by the academic committee of "think tanks"
- the role of the academic committee in spreading school spirit
He also stressed the importance of building good academic integrity and leading the university in academic morality. He said that the duty of the Committee was to create a clean academic atmosphere, develop students with high moral standards, and make positive contributions to the reputation of international universities in China.
