Han Ximin, Christopher Clarke

1824295095@qq.com

WORLD university leaders commended on the progress of the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) over the last three years and praised the transformative initiatives it has taken to push forward further development at SUSTech’s International Advisory Council’s (IAC) third meeting held online Thursday.

IAC members discussed the university governance structure, faculty and student recruitment, teaching method reforms, technology transfer, and international partnership expansions. They pledged their continued support to SUSTech as it enters its second decade of development and expressed their wish to see it become a world-class university during the two sessions of the meeting.

In a report, SUSTech president Xue Qikun explored the university’s highlights since the 2018 IAC meeting, its progress, new opportunities and initiatives, and future visions. He specifically outlined the new strategic plan for scientific breakthroughs in fundamental research and the key applied technology development plan.

IAC is an esteemed group of prestigious and influential university presidents and academic leaders worldwide. For the 2021 meeting, 17 of the 19 members were present during the two sessions, including Henry T. Yang, chancellor of the University of California, Santa Barbara; Bao Xinhe, president of the University of Science and Technology of China; and Jean-Lou Chameau, president Emeritus of the California Institute of Technology.

New IAC members who have joined in 2021 include Gu Binglin, former president of Tsinghua University; Kim Moo-hwan, president of Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea; and Hideo Ohno, president of Tohoku University in Japan.