The Global University Presidents’ Forum was held online and offline at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) on the afternoon of October 6, as HUST is celebrating its 70th anniversary. On the theme of "Education for Sustainable Development: the Role of Higher Education", the forum featured the presentation of presidents and senior leaders from 12 prestigious universities and organization home and abroad, including Queensland University, University of California, Los Angeles, Manchester University, ParisTech, University of Arizona, Nagoya University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Wuhan University, Chongqing University, Wuhan University of Technology, HUST and APRU (the Association of Pacific Rim Universities). The leaders gave insightful speeches, discussed the opportunities and challenges for the sustainable development of higher education around the world in the new era, and shared cases and practices to seek high-quality development together. Li Yuanyuan, Chair of the University Committee of HUST, delivered a welcome address, and You Zheng, President of HUST, presented a keynote speech at the conference. The forum was presided over by Xu Xiaodong and Zhan Yiqing, Vice Presidents of HUST.

In his speech, Li Yuanyuan first expressed thanks to the participants for their care and support for HUST over the years. He noted that universities should take on the mission of training talent, advancing scientific and technological innovation, serving society, and contributing to the sustainable development of higher education in the new era, since universities are a critical force taking the lead in innovation and driving the development of human civilization. He then reviewed HUST’s history over the past 70 years and its achievements by adhering to open education. He pointed out that HUST has been committed to building a world-class university, pursuing high-quality sustainable development, and conducting pioneering work in various fields, such as innovating educational ideas, exploring talent cultivation models, conducting scientific research, and promoting governance system reforms. HUST is ready to work with partner universities around the world to create new possibilities for exchanges and cooperation, address global challenges jointly, and make new and greater contributions to the sustainable development of higher education and the building of a human community with a shared future.

Li Yuanyuan, Chair of University Committee of HUST, gives a welcome address

HUST President You Zheng presented a keynote speech entitled Strive for Excellence and Promote Sustainable Development of Higher Education – Practice and Thoughts of Huazhong University of Science and Technology ". You Zheng noted that as the external environment for development and internal governance structure of higher education institutions have undergone profound changes around the world, we must come together and respond with more active measures and a more forward-looking perspective. Since its establishment 70 years ago, HUST has been keeping up with the trends of global development, staying aligned with national development, consistently surpassing itself, as well as exploring a new pathway for sustainable development according to You Zheng’s introduction to the practices and experiences of HUST. Facing the new situation and new landscape of development, HUST is exploring three main fields, first, encouraging interdisciplinary programs to cultivate major achievements, second, serving the needs for national and local development and promoting scientific and technological innovation to a new level, third, accelerating the opening up to the outside world to the establishment of "Double First-Class" Initiative through international cooperation. He expressed his hope that HUST will work with partner universities at home and abroad and contribute wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of higher education and the progress of human civilization.

You Zheng, President of HUST, presents a keynote speech at the conference

In the following session, the leaders from 11 other Chinese and foreign universities made their respective speeches focusing on the conference theme. Deborah Terry AO, Vice-Chancellor and President of The University of Queensland, emphasized the significance of establishing an efficient global partner network and making the best of knowledge leadership for the sustainable development of regions and the whole world. Lin Zhongqin, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, pointed out that innovative universities should take a more positive attitude to making greater contributions to sustainable development, a subject faced by the human community in our times. Higher education institutions must strengthen international cooperation in scientific research and talent nurturing to effectively cope with global challenges and better benefit the human community, stressed by Gene D. Block, Chancellor of University of California, Los Angeles and Chair of APRU, and Christopher Tremewan, Secretary General of APRU, in a joint report. Han Jiecai, President of Harbin Institute of Technology, expounded on practices of HIT in "strengthening education opening to the outside world and developing diversified education for top talents". Luke Georghiou, Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Manchester, suggested that universities should have more resilient and flexible development strategies and models for sustainable development in the ever-changing environment.

Guest speakers present their speeches at the forum

Facing unprecedented global changes that are taking place, Dou Xiankang, President of Wuhan University, believes that universities should vigorously promote core values of academic innovation and find their respective roads to become world-class universities based on their own conditions while taking moral development and education as their fundamental missions. Christian Lerminiaux, President of ParisTech Executive Committee and Director of Chimie ParisTech - PSL, shared ParisTech’s pioneering practice in incubating start-ups and helping solve key challenges in global sustainable development. Wang Shuxin, President of Chongqing University, introduced the "Dragonfly Model" of the university in a novel model of engineering student education featuring "talent nurturing - industry - scientific research". Charles Wang, Associate Vice President for China & East Asia Affairs of University of Arizona, noted that higher education should focus on the "glocalisation" with "globalized mindsets and localized actions". Yang Zongkai, President of Wuhan University of Technology, presented cases and practices of the university for digital transformation and suggested that innovation-driven development should be based on active change-seeking and scientific response. Naoshi Sugiyama, President of Nagoya University, shared the university’s digital development strategy and their key measures taken to implement the strategy.

The guests and participating teachers and students commented on the forum as fruitful and insightful. It is agreed that the forum has created a meaningful platform for communication and interaction, bringing together the wisdom of stakeholders, inspiring new ideas, and provoking thinking of everyone. In the future, we should work together to take on the responsibility of promoting the sustainable development of higher education and building a better future together.

Also present at the event were leaders of Chinese universities, experts and scholars in the field of higher education, in addition to HUST teachers and students from different departments and schools.

Edited by: Jiang Jing, Peng Yumeng