The president of the largest private university in the U.S. and the “strongest university in China” met for a friendly visit and short seminar on university governance May 27.

Stanford University President John Hennessy and Tsinghua President Gu Binglin also discussed the strengths their two schools have in common, especially their high reputation and long history.

President Gu outlined the current development plans of Tsinghua, in particular the establishment and growth of the School of Medicine and the Bioengineering Department. He said that Tsinghua has long promoted cooperation with world-class universities such as Stanford.

In the talk, both sides exchanged their views on the issues of campus size and student admission policies.

In terms of the student enrollment, President Gu said Tsinghua currently does not want to accept a higher number of students, but instead should focus on getting students with outstanding ability. President Hennessy agreed, saying, “Quality is first.”

After the meeting, President Hennessy held a seminar on university governance. He emphasized two requirements for the construction of a world-class university: a highly qualified faculty and creative students.

He quoted the Stanford motto – “The wind of freedom blows” – saying it is “an invitation to free and open inquiry in the pursuit of teaching and research. The freedom of scholarly inquiry granted to faculty and students at Stanford is our greatest privilege; using this privilege boldly is our objective.”

About 20 administrative staff from various departments of Tsinghua took part in the seminar.

Reported by Li Yingchun

Photoed by Guo Haijun