From November 9 to 11, the Fifth National “Double First-Class” Construction and Evaluation Forum, themed “High-Quality Development of Higher Education under the Strategy of Building a Leading Country in Education,” was held in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, attracting over 300 experts and scholar participants from universities across the country. Dr. Chen Xiaochun, President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), President of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), and Founder and Chairman of Sias University, as one of the chairpersons of the Forum, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the Forum.
Prof. Zhou Yuanqing, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education and former President of the Chinese Association of Higher Education (CAHE), Dr. Xu Hui, member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), member of the Standing Committee of the 14th NPC, Vice Chairman of the Constitution and Law Committee, Vice Chairman of the China Democratic League, and former President of Zhejiang Normal University (ZNU), Dr. Jiang Yunliang, Secretary of the CPC ZNU Committee, and Dr. Wu Qing, Secretary of the CPC HDU Committee, served as the Chairmen of the forum, and Senior Prof. Qiu Junping of Hangzhou Dianzi University (HDU), Director of Chinese Academy of Science and Education Evaluation (CASEE) and Zhejiang Association of Higher Education (ZAHE), served as the Executive Chairman of the forum.
Dr. Xu Hui and Dr. Chen made opening speeches in video form, and Dr. Jiang Yunliang attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Mr. Wang Lisheng, former Director of China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC), Vice President of China Association for Non-Government Education (CANGE) and Chairman of Chinese Association for Non-Government Higher Education, and Prof. Hao Zhifeng, President of Shantou University and Director of Key Laboratory of Intelligent Manufacturing Technology (Shantou University), Ministry of Education, attended the forum. Prof. Qiu Junping presided over the opening ceremony.
Dr. Xu Hui noted that accelerating the “Double First-Class” Initiative is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as its core. It is a leading and landmark project for building a leading country in education, a key engine for promoting the integrated development of education, science, and technology talents, and a strategic support for Chinese path to modernization. He affirmed the outstanding achievements of the “Double First-Class” Initiative in high-level discipline construction, high-level talent cultivation, and cooperative education. However, he also highlighted several issues that need attention, such as further enhancing the ability to independently cultivate, attract, and gather high-level talents, strengthening support for national major strategic needs, addressing inadequacies in the self-construction of “Double First-Class” universities, and improving and optimizing the evaluation system for the “Double First-Class” Initiative.
Dr. Chen emphasized that in the new stage of development, the significant issues for the reform and development of China’s higher education and the “Double First-Class” Initiative are “why to implement, how to implement, and what to implement.” He pointed out that the global technological revolution and industrial transformation are accelerating, and the field of education is undergoing a revolutionary change driven by artificial intelligence (AI). The rise of AI has become a focus of global attention and brings both new challenges and opportunities to higher education and the pursuit of the "Double First-Class" Initiative. The digitization of education has indeed become a strategic focus for many countries in recent years, significantly impacting the landscape of global higher education and shaping its future trajectory.
Dr. Chen emphasized the dedication of IAUP to AI in Education in exploring novel concepts, models, and programs within the realm of digital education. He expressed the hope that through collective efforts and cooperation, IAUP can fully leverage the potential of AI to enhance the educational environment. Dr. Chen urged universities to actively engage with IAUP, emphasizing the importance of collectively amplifying China’s voice and showcasing the unique characteristics and remarkable achievements of Chinese higher education. At the same time, he anticipated IAUP to serve as a pivotal bridge for China’s higher education to “go out” and facilitate the introduction of global high-quality educational resources into China, while also contributing to the promotion of global cooperation and the development of higher education worldwide.
When it comes to the specific path of “Double First-Class” construction, Dr. Chen emphasized the pivotal role of innovation as the core driving force. He encouraged universities to embark on a continuous journey of innovation, focusing on management systems, school-running models, educational methodologies, and guarantee mechanisms. This innovation is crucial to meeting the evolving demands of higher education in the new era. At the same time, Dr. Chen underscored the importance of nurturing and attracting high-level talents. He called on universities to intensify their efforts in enhancing their capacity to cultivate, attract, and retain such talents.
Dr. Jiang Yunliang emphasized that in recent years, ZNU has leveraged its unique strengths to uphold the core values of higher education, accentuated its traditional strengths, and forged new paths, culminating in the formation of a distinctive brand in teacher education, African studies, and children’s research, among others. Looking ahead, ZNU is committed to pursuing a developmental trajectory centered around its characteristics. It aims to proactively serve the needs of teacher education in Zhejiang Province, contribute to regional economic and social progress, align with national strategic priorities, and position itself favorably in the global landscape of higher education. With this approach, ZNU intends to advance its “1368” strategic vision comprehensively, striving to excel in areas where it can make a significant impact, and ultimately, strive to transform ZNU into a “First-Class University with Distinctive Features.”
During the forum, Sui Yifan, Qiushi Distinguished Professor of Zhejiang University, Dr. Jiang Yunliang, Mr. Wang Lisheng, Prof. Hao Zhifeng, Ms. Wang Shanshan, Vice President of ZAHE, Prof. Jiang Guohua, senior education research expert, Founder of Chinese Scientometrics, and researcher of the China National Academy Educational Sciences (CNAES), Dr. Huang Zhaoxin, Vice President of HNU, National Leading Talent, Dr. Li Zhimin, Vice Chairman of Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy (CSEDS), Chairman of Professional Committee on Talent Development (CSEDS), Dr. Yao Congli, Director of the Center for Higher Education Research, Northwestern University, Director of Chinese Association of Higher Education (CAHE), Prof. Wang Zhanjun, Vice Dean of the School of Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Dr. Zhang Yuchen, Vice President of CASEE, HDU, and numerous experts and scholars delivered keynote speeches on topics such as “Internationalization of Higher Education: Action Options for Accelerating the Construction of First-Class Universities,” “Discipline Evaluation Promoting High-Quality Development of First-Class Disciplines,” and “Development of the ‘Double First-Class’ Initiative and Higher Education under the Strategy of Building a Leading Country in Education.”
Additionally, three sub-forums were established, where 42 paper authors engaged in discussions on topics including the theory and practice of “Double First-Class” construction, higher education evaluation and talent cultivation, and new productive forces and high-quality development of education.
The forum received 139 submitted papers. After expert review organized by the organizing committee, 1 first-prize paper, 5 second-prize papers, 8 third-prize papers, and 15 excellent papers were selected. An award ceremony for the excellent papers was held at the closing ceremony of the forum.
The forum was jointly hosted by Zhejiang Normal University, Hangzhou Dianzi University, CASEE (HDU), RCCSE (Wuhan University), ZAHE, and the Strategy and Evaluation Research Center for Higher Education Development in Zhejiang Province (Zhejiang Think Tank), and organized by the School of Education (School of Teacher Education) of Zhejiang Normal University, the Joint Education Institute of Zhejiang Normal University and the University of Kansas, and the Development Planning Office of Zhejiang Normal University.
Opening Ceremony of the 5th National “Double First-Class” Construction and Evaluation Forum
Dr. Xu Hui, Former President of Zhejiang Normal University, Delivered a Speech
Dr. Shawn Chen, President of the WFUNA, President of the IAUP, and Founder and Chairman of Sias University, Delivered a Speech
Dr. Jiang Yunliang, Secretary of the CPC ZNU Committee, Delivered a Speech
Keynote Speeches
Group Photo
