Tsinghua University Hosts Meeting to Assess Effectiveness of Independent Degree Authorization Review

Tsinghua News Network, June 6th. On the afternoon of May 29th, Tsinghua University’s degree authorization independent review work effectiveness evaluation meeting was held in the conference room of the second classroom building.

In his speech, Jiang Peixue, Vice President of Tsinghua University and Vice Chairman of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, expressed welcome and gratitude to the experts who attended the meeting on behalf of the university. He said that Tsinghua University has always attached great importance to the construction of degree authorization points. After becoming one of the first batch of independent degree authorization review units in 2018, the university cherishes the autonomy of running schools granted by the state, insists on in-depth study and implementation of the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection of Tsinghua University, adheres to the principle of “serving needs, ensuring quality, forward-looking leadership, and standardization and prudence”, actively serves the strategic needs of the Party and the country, closely follows the university’s discipline construction and development plan, highlights its own characteristics and advantages, and orderly carries out the independent degree authorization review work. This evaluation meeting is a comprehensive physical examination of the experts on the implementation of Tsinghua University’s independent degree authorization review work. The university attaches great importance to it and hopes that the experts will give valuable advice and suggestions on the university’s independent degree authorization review work. Tsinghua University will take this meeting as an opportunity to further strengthen the top-level design and strategic planning of the school’s independent review of degree authorization, incorporate the expert group’s suggestions into the planning of the next stage of discipline construction and development, and steadily advance discipline and professional construction and talent training. From a new starting point, we will strive to achieve high-quality development of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics, and contribute to accelerating the construction of an education power.

Academician Zhang Xi, head of the evaluation expert group, member of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, and president of Jilin University, presided over the expert evaluation session. Professor Wu Ye, vice dean of the Graduate School of Tsinghua University and secretary-general of the Academic Degrees Evaluation Committee of the University, reported to the expert group on the results of Tsinghua University’s independent degree authorization review work, and made a detailed report on the progress of the independent degree authorization review work, the effectiveness of the new degree programs in serving the major needs of the country, the support for the “Double First-Class” construction, the construction of systems and mechanisms, and quality assurance, and summarized the existing problems and follow-up work plans.

After reviewing the self-evaluation materials and listening to relevant reports, the experts conducted in-depth discussions on the degree programs’ service to the country’s major needs, talent training target positioning, faculty structure, academic platform construction, international exchanges and cooperation, classified training and development, and the quality assurance system for the entire training process, and put forward specific guidance and suggestions on how to properly handle the relationship between new and old disciplines. The expert group unanimously agreed that Tsinghua University’s independent review of degree authorization is standardized, and has achieved outstanding results in serving the country’s major needs and discipline development. They hope that the university will further strengthen the institutional mechanism construction of interdisciplinary degree programs and promote the connotation-based development of degree program construction.

Group photo of participants

The evaluation expert group also includes Professor Yang Weizhong, Vice President of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and Executive Dean of the School of Population Medicine and Public Health of Peking Union Medical College; Professor Ma Fengzhi, Vice Chairman of the National Social Work Professional Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee, President of the Chinese Association of Social Work Education, and Professor of the Department of Sociology of Peking University; Researcher Bu Xianqun, member of the Chinese History Discipline Review Group of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and Director of the Institute of Ancient History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Professor Xiao Yingbin, member of the Clinical Medicine Discipline Review Group of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and Chief Physician of the Department of Cardiac Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University; Professor Che Yongsheng, Convener of the Pharmacy Discipline Review Group of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee and Director of the Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; and Professor Chen Jian, Director of the Department of Atmospheric Science of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee. Member of the discipline review group, Researcher Lu Riyu, Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Member and Secretary-General of the National Finance Professional Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee, Professor Zhao Xijun of the School of Finance and Economics of Renmin University of China, Member of the Discipline Review Group of Marxist Theory and CCP History and Party Building of the State Council Academic Degrees Committee, Professor Sun Xiguo of the School of Marxism at Peking University, Member of the National Digital Economy Professional Degree Graduate Education Steering Committee, Director of the Training and Degree Department of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Qiao Han of the School of Economics and Management, Professor Deng Fang, Executive Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Beijing Institute of Technology and Professor of the School of Automation, Professor Cai Jun of the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Beihang University and Director of the Admissions and Degree Office.

More than 30 people attended the meeting, including relevant personnel from Tsinghua University’s Party Committee Graduate Affairs Department, Graduate School, Liberal Arts Construction Department, Development Planning Department, and persons in charge of independently reviewing the establishment of additional degree authorization points.