On April 19, the “Seminar on Theories and Methods for Formulating University Development Strategies in the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ Period, within the Context of Building a Leading Nation in Education” was successfully held at Weifang University. The event was jointly organized by the Institute of Higher Education and the Shandong Higher Education Society, and hosted by Weifang University. The seminar brought together a distinguished gathering of experts and scholars from our institute, including Dean Professor Bie Dunrong; Vice Dean Professor Zhao Tingting and Wang Shutao; Professor Wang Hongcai; and Associate Professor Chen Bin. The attendees also included over 400 participants from more than 140 universities, research institutions, education media outlets, and administrative departments across China. This diverse group of institutional leaders, scholars, and key personnel in strategic planning convened to collaboratively explore pathways for high-quality development in higher education under the national goal of building a leading nation in education. The event also garnered significant online engagement, attracting more than 16,000 views.
Distinguished leaders and guests present at the meeting included: Wang Lisheng, Vice President of the Chinese Association for Non-Government Education and former Director of the China Academie Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC); Guan Enwen, Second-Level Inspector of the Shandong Provincial Department of Education; Luo Gongli, President of the Shandong Higher Education Society; Song Chengxiang, former Vice Director of the Shandong Provincial Department of Education; Liu Chunhua, Vice President of the Shandong Higher Education Society and Party Secretary of University of Jinan; Yang Tongyi, Vice President of the Shandong Higher Education Society and former President of Shandong Technology and Business University; Wang Huanliang, Party Secretary of Linyi University; Zeng Xianwen, Director of the Higher Education Department of the Shandong Provincial Department of Education; as well as Xu Mei, Party Secretary of Weifang University, and Miao Jinchun, Vice President of Weifang University. Keynote speeches were delivered by renowned experts and scholars, including: Professor Xuan Yong, Party Secretary of Zhejiang International Studies University; Professor Zhou Guangli, Dean of the School of Education at Renmin University of China; Professor Cai Sanfa, Party Secretary of the School of Political Science and International Relations at Tongji University; Professor Chen Tingzhu, Dean of the Institute of Education Science at Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Professor Yang Jie, Director of the Higher Education Department of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Professor Zhou Ling, former Director of the Institute of Higher Education at East China University of Science and Technology; and Professor Wang Shutao from our institute. Representatives from nine universities shared case studies on their strategic development plans for the 14th Five-Year Plan period. In his address, Vice President Wang Lisheng spoke highly of our institute’s significant contributions to serving the development of national and regional higher education.
In his opening address, Dean Bie Dunrong highlighted the institute’s commitment to serving higher education nationwide. He noted that in recent years, the institute has actively expanded its reach beyond Xiamen, forging strategic partnerships with numerous universities across China. Dean Bie commended Shandong’s universities for their long-standing emphasis on strategic planning. He pointed out that several institutions in Shandong pioneered the practice of commissioning experts to develop strategic plans, a move that has been instrumental in the province’s leapfrog development in higher education and has set a benchmark for the entire country. He emphasized the seminar's exceptional significance, being held in Shandong at the critical juncture of wrapping up the 14th Five-Year Plan and preparing for the 15th. Confronted with a new international landscape and a new phase in China’s higher education development, he urged universities to seize the historic opportunity of the coming decade to build a leading education nation. He called for navigating uncertainties with wisdom and allowing strategic plans to serve as a clear guide for steady, high-quality advancement. Dean Bie concluded that formulating these plans must bridge theory and practice, involve a scientific and precise definition of vision and goals, and commit to diverse and differentiated development paths. The keynote and case study sessions were respectively chaired by Professor Zhao Tingting and Associate Professor Chen Bin.
The symposium directly addressed national strategic priorities, combining academic foresight with practical applicability. Through in-depth discussions on cutting-edge theories and methods for university planning, it generated significant theoretical insights and practical models to guide the scientific formulation of strategic plans and promote sustained, high-quality development. Participants unanimously agreed that the outcomes will provide new momentum for advancing high-quality development in China’s higher education system and achieving the goal of building a leading education nation.
Translated by:Dai Lan
