ADDRESSING GLOBAL CHALLENGES COLLABORATIVELY
Tsinghua University and Washington University in St. Louis Co-host the 7th McDonnell International Scholars Academy Symposium
Leaders from Washington University in St. Louis and its McDonnell Academy partner universities gathered on October 11th-14th for the 7th bi-annual McDonnell International Scholars Academy Symposium at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Designed to unite the Academy’s 35 premier universities in order to collaboratively address the world’s most critical problems, the three-day Symposium focused on issues including health, energy and environment, and agriculture.
Twenty-one McDonnell Academy partners—including Washington and Tsinghua Universities—signed a Declaration designed to reduce the carbon footprints at each of their individual campuses at the symposium. The declaration also seeks to boost sustainability measures at each university.
Tsinghua Vice President Yang Bin read the congratulatory letter of Tsinghua University from President Qiu Yong. In his congratulatory letter, President Qiu extended his warm welcome to all the participants. “Tsinghua University is dedicated to serving Chinese society and the world community by coping with the social challenges head-on, challenges related to agriculture, food and water, energy and the environment, public health and aging, among others, which are the key features at this international symposium.”
President Qiu noted all of the universities represented embodied academic and research excellence in their respective communities, and said that they demonstrated a commitment to contribute to the advancement of human development. By attending, what was being committing to is to work with a common purpose with each other, in order to accomplish even more. The gathering of these 35 renowned universities represented an overwhelming opportunity for us all. It is consistent with our common efforts to give our students and faculty a platform to address global challenges.
President Qiu also met and talked with the Presidents of participating universities at the Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University. He stated that international cooperation and the support of global partners are key to the implementation of the University’s Global Strategy. He looked forward to the results that the forum will bring forward and hoped that the cooperation between the universities would be further enhanced in the coming years.
On October 12th, Chen Xu, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua Committee and Chairperson of the University Council, made an address to welcome the leading staff, scholars and friends of various universities across the world to the campus. She said that the seventh McDonnell Academy Symposium would be co-hosted by the two world-known univeristies. The event would focus on academic conversation concerning global challenges, sustainable development for mankind and other important world issues.
Chen Xu stated that Tsinghua University has always given a lot of attention to the question of mankind’s survival. In order to strengthen its social service capabilities, Tsinghua remains determined to apply its rich technological, cultural and communicative resources to research and cooperation with colleges, governments, companies and social organizations at home and abroad. Chen Xu also presented the initiatives that Tsinghua University has undertaken in recent years to address important issues such as energy security and global climate change.
Chen Xu pointed out that world-renowned universities bear an important mission facing common threats to mankind. The symposium would allow experts and scholars to communicate and exchange knowledge on current challenges facing the world. Afterwards, they would be able to propose some thoughts and possible prospective initiatives based on a global perspective. Chen Xu expressed her conviction that the symposium would contribute more wisdom and strength to mankind’s sustainable development.
“At Washington University, we know our best chances to address the world’s greatest challenges come from collaborating with our global partners to produce local solutions,” said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. “In that spirit, the Symposium featured expert speakers, executive sessions and workshops offering insight into issues of health and aging, reducing carbon footprint, addressing climate change and air quality.”
Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman of the Blackstone Group, also arrived to congratulate the symposium at its opening and to present the programs offered in the Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University. He wishesd to provide a platform for growth to more young people.
During the symposium, 21 universities, including Tsinghua University and the Washington University in St. Louis, signed the declaration of sustainable development in university campuses.
During the keynote address, the symposium invited John P. Holdren, Professor of Environmental Policy at the Kennedy School of Government, the senior science and technology advisor to former U.S. President Barack Obama and a distinguished visiting professor of Tsinghua University, Xue Qi Kun, the Vice-President of Tsinghua University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other notable scholars. Together, they delivered keynote addresses on the topics of environment and energy. During the seminar, the symposium invited Yang Bin, the Vice-President of Tsinghua University, Pratim Biswas, the Director of the McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environment Partnership (MAGEEP), and many others to speak on subjects such as sustainable campus development. Graduate students from universities around the world participated in the “3 minutes” speech and it became a highlight of the event.
Concerning the study of climate change and the impact of future environmental changes, Dr. Holdren reiterated the key role that research-oriented universities must undertake. They must provide the experts and the necessary equipment to effectively support research efforts. In society, they must sensitize people through think tanks, forums, public activities and most importantly, education.
In the keynote address, Xue Qikun talked about the most important challenge that mankind’s future and the development of higher education will face: energy. He stated that it would be a worldwide challenge in the future. Research-oriented universities need to work on the improvement of current technologies and push for sustainable development. New economic structures would cause immense changes in research facilities and there would be a need to make adjustments in the programs. Research-type universities should actively seek global cooperation and work to reach a state of sustainable development.
In his keynote speech, Vice President Yang Bin remarked that sustainable development is the only road to move human society forward. By taking practical steps to build a sustainable campus, a university can demonstrate its commitment to the road of sustainable development in the most fundamental and far-reaching manner. Tsinghua University has demonstrated an abiding commitment to this consensus with long-standing efforts. In 1998, Tsinghua put forward the idea of building a “green university”. We started to emphasize the importance of embracing a philosophy of “green education”. We have promoted a sense of “green science and technology” among the ranks of our staff as they undertake scientific research and make inroads into the environmental protection industry. We have worked to spread our message with demonstration projects that implement the idea of a “green campus”. For two decades, we have been consistently guided by this idea. As a result, the philosophy of a “green campus” has taken roots across Tsinghua’s campus. The concept of sustainable development has flourished in this community.
“We will do our best to educate our students about the concept of sustainable development,” stated Yang Bin.
The bi-annual McDonnell Symposiums allow the partner universities to review their most recent research projects, share best practice and develop possible solutions when it comes to global-scale issues. All topics will be addressed in Beijing with a combination of keynote addresses, plenary sessions, panel discussions and workshops presented by university researchers, government officials and corporate leaders.
Headquartered at Washington University in St. Louis, the Academy enrolls exceptional students from partner universities across disciplines, providing them with rigorous graduate instruction as well as leadership training, cultural events and workshops. The Academy has also built a robust university network designed to promote cooperative research and incubate new ideas. Since its inception in 2005, the Academy has expanded to include universities on six continents.
In September 2016, Chen Xu, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua Committee and Chairperson of the University Council, attended the sixth McDonnell International Symposium in Australia. As a special guest, her keynote address topic was “The Innovation of Chinese Universities: Challenges, Opportunities and Action”.
Writer: Edward He
Editor: John Olbrich, Guo Lili
Photos: Chang Zhidong, Li Pai
