Source: Department of Education Administration
Written by: Department of Education Administration
Photo by: Cai Shanshan, Zhong Haolun, Peng Yishuai
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

According to the work arrangement of the Higher Education Evaluation Center of the Ministry of Education (HEEC), the expert panel conducted a 4-day review and assessment of undergraduate education at Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) on October 24-27, 2016. The meeting between experts and University leaders was held on the morning of October 24, and the evaluation feedback meeting was held on the afternoon of October 27. All members of the expert panel, leaders from the HEEC, the University leaders, heads of functional departments, school deans, and presidents of affiliated hospitals attended the evaluation feedback meeting, which was moderated by Prof. Pan Shimo, deputy chairman of the expert panel.
At the meeting between experts and University leaders, Prof. Chen Jun, chairman of the expert panel, introduced the evaluation work. Prof. Luo Jun, President of SYSU, introduced the talent cultivation at SYSU. Afterwards, at the report meeting, Prof. Li Mengfeng, Vice President of SYSU, presented a report to the expert panel on the objectives, systems, characteristics, problems and solutions of undergraduate education at SYSU.

At the evaluation feedback meeting, Prof. Chen Jun introduced the general situation of the evaluation. He pointed out that the expert panel conducted a comprehensive survey on SYSU’s undergraduate education, covering 54 schools, departments and affiliated hospitals on three campuses in Guangzhou and Zhuhai Campus, visiting 46 functional departments and affiliated units, attending 53 courses, completing 61 in-depth interviews, reviewing 1,199 graduation theses of 29 majors and 4,372 test papers of 59 courses, holding 56 meetings, and visiting the library, laboratories, public experimental teaching center, student canteens, as well as 14 practice bases and employers.

Through these activities the expert panel considered that SYSU faculty, staff and students have attached great importance to the evaluation work. SYSU is moving fast on the path toward building a world-class university. With clear orientations and objectives, the University is dedicated to nurturing academic elites and future leaders who have both ability and moral integrity, able to cultivate charisma and eager serve their country. The University has its own characteristics in general education and practical teaching. During the inspection, the experts were impressed by SYSU’s innovative and practical spirit. They considered that the University’s goal of talent cultivation is consistent with its tradition and its status in national higher education. The implementation of the goal is an extremely arduous process, which requires long-term efforts of increasing educational input, improving teaching quality, and perfecting the multi-campus school-running model. They hoped that the University would pay attention to the systematic development of scale, structure, effect and quality, and provide top-level design and comprehensive solutions to its ongoing undergraduate educational reform. The experts also pointed out the existing problems and offered instructive suggestions on improving undergraduate education. 
President Luo Jun expressed heartfelt thanks to the expert panel on behalf of the University. He responded to the questions raised by the expert panel, and pointed out that the University will make continuous efforts to increase the per-student input of teaching resources, accelerate the construction of undergraduate education quality standard system, perfect the whole-process management in talent cultivation, strengthen the construction of management teams, and optimize campus structure and specialty layout. He noted that the University’s goal of talent cultivation has become a consensus of all faculty, staff and students, and we will make joint endeavors to achieve the goal. He said that we will carefully study the feedback from the expert panel, and we also hope that the experts and the HEEC will offer more valuable suggestions on the development of the University.

Prof. Wu Yan, Director of HEEC, delivered a speech. He noted that SYSU is a renowned university with a good tradition. He said that the expert panel has pointed out real problems and made useful suggestions, and he believed that the University will study the suggestions and make improvements. He also expressed the wish that the University will nurture talents who have both ability and moral integrity, able to cultivate charisma and eager serve their country, and the University will achieve a better and rapid development.