Colleges and Universities Should Seek Harmony in Diversity and Contribute Due Share to Future Development

The "Commemoration of the 100thAnniversary of the Founding of Shanghai University • Global University Presidents' Forum & Education Internationalization Summit Forum" were held in Baoshan Campus of Shanghai University on September 23. The theme of the forums was "reshaping universities for the future: mission and innovation".

Yan Bingchen, deputy director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of the Ministry of Education, proposed that colleges and universities should seek harmony in diversity and contribute their due share to future development; they should be people-oriented with integrated innovation; they should enhance trust and dispel misgivings to play their roles. Luis Ferreira, president of the University of Lisbon, indicated that while the traditional spatial boundaries of the “university” system were becoming blurred, its mission had never changed. Universities need to strive to meet the international market, ensure the high quality of teaching, research and innovation, and build a sustainable innovative talent community. Gaoqing Max Lu, president of the University of Surrey, stressed that a university's impact and reputation should be measured not only by its scientific research, but also by its actual contribution to addressing global challenges and pressing issues of local and global communities.