The forum kicked off in Fuzhou on November 17. Presidents from some renowned non-normal universities at home and abroad were also invited to attend the forum, targeted mainly at normal universities in China. More than 100 distinguished guests attended the forum. Some of them came from over 30 normal universities including Beijing Normal University, Northeast Normal University, Central China Normal University, Taiwan Changhua University of Education, Kaohsiung Normal University, while the others were from more than 20 non-normal universities such as American University of Dayton, Goldsmiths College, University of London and Xiamen University.
At the forum, President Eric F. Spina from University of Dayton, President Jiang Hongxin from Hunan Normal University, President Wu Lianshang from Kaohsiung Normal University, Vice-president Ye Shiman from Xiamen University, Vice-president Mark D’Inverno from Goldsmiths College, University of London and President Wang Changping from Fujian Normal University delivered the keynote speeches respectively. In the report “Moving Faster in Building a High-Level Comprehensive University with Distinctive Features by Leveraging Academic Strengths”, President Wang Changping, based on FNU’s reform and development experiences, pointed out that emphasis should be put on the following four aspects in order to build our school into a high level university:defining the orientation of running school while recognizing the direction, maintaining the direction while strengthening distinctive features, optimizing the conditions while attracting and cultivating talents, and optimizing the discipline structure while highlighting the key disciplines.
At the sub-forum, the two themes “Opportunities and Challenges in Buildinga High-Level University” and “Comparison and Prospects of Teachers-oriented Education” triggered heated discussions among delegates present. Through this forum, delegates from different universities shared their notionsof running institutions of higher learning, fully realizing the opportunities and challengesthe development of higher education may face. The forum is of great practical significance in promoting exchanges and cooperation, further enhancing national quality of higher education and the ability to run internationalized schools, and fostering the construction of Double First-Rates and the reformanddevelopment of teachers-oriented education.
Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, Fujian Daily, Asia Pacific Daily, the Straits Metropolitan News reported about the forum, with good social influence.
(Translated by Fang Jingming Reviewed by Xie Xiujuan)