Global Summit of University Presidents and APRU 15th Annual Presidents Meeting Held

From the Office of Overseas Promotion

The Global Summit of University Presidents and the 15th Annual Presidents Meeting of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities began on 23rd April at Tsinghua.

State Councilor Liu Yandong delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. Minister of Education Yuan Guiren, Chancellor Henry T. Yang of the University of California, Santa Barbara and Chairman of the APRU, and Tsinghua University President Gu Binglin also attended the ceremony and made welcome addresses. Presidents from five renowned universities, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cape Town, the University of Tokyo, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Auckland all delivered speeches.

The theme of the summit is “Global Social Economy and Higher Education”. In conjunction with the APRU and its 15th Annual Presidents Meeting, the Summit aims to discuss strategic issues that are critical to the future development of universities and cooperation between higher education institutions.

The delegates participated in group discussions in the afternoon, covering such topics as university governance, innovation in education, interdisciplinary research and developments, social responsibilities of leading universities, international collaboration in higher education, strategic planning by universities, and developing sustainable campuses.

The presidents also planted trees to commemorate the Tsinghua Centennial and their friendship in the Centennial Garden that day. 

The Summit convenes presidents from over 130 prestigious universities in 35 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. It provides a platform for exchange, communication and cooperation among the presidents of universities.

(Photo by Guo Haijun)