The Third Phase Construction of “211 Project” Started in NCEPU

Publishing time:2008-06-02    Viewer:

On the morning of May 19th, a mobilization meeting presided by Yang Yongping (vice president of NCEPU) was held in honor of the start of the third phase construction of “211 Project” and the work arrangement in order to implement the planning formulation and demonstration work with regard to the spirit of the “General Planning for the Third Phase Construction of ‘211 Project’for Higher Education”. School leaders, including the assistant to president, leaders of relevant sectors, the heads of all departments and all professors were present at the meeting, in which Wu Zhigong (secretary of the Party committee) and Liu Jizhen (president of NCEPU) addressed significant speeches.

    Yin Chengqun, the assistant to president, introduced to the attendants the progress of the pre-construction as well as the planning formulation and demonstration work of the “211 Project”. Yin claimed that just during the Ninth Five-year and the early period of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, the university started to make preparation for the “211 Project”. Under the leadership of the former ministry of Chinese electric power and National Electricity Co, NCEPU had devoted a large amount of manpower and materials to discipline construction, talents cultivation and public service system construction according to “211 Project” construction standard. Several years later, NCEPU had achieved a lot in discipline construction, scientific research innovation, public service construction, talent cultivation, academic exchange and management system innovation. The concept that “NCEPU should be built into “a responsible university” was gradually formed, namely, to adopt the developing idea based on key disciplines, highlighted by new cross-disciplines, and supported by arts and science.

    Yin also said that the recognition of NCEPU as one of the “211 Project” universities in 2005 provided both unprecedented opportunity and great challenge to the further development of this university. Then he proclaimed the planning formulation and demonstration work of the third phase construction of “211 Project”. With a view to the document of higher authority,  state-level key disciplines and ministerial or provincial preponderant disciplines and interdisciplines were included in the third phase construction, and all the specific projects were finally determined through top-to-bottom procedures of unit application, expert evaluation and school approval.

    President Liu made a speech subsequently. He believed that to implement the planning formulation and demonstration work of the third phase construction of “211 Project” was more than a specific requirement, and we should be fully aware of the significance and influence of this project to NCEPU. As was pointed out in the Programme of China Educational Reform and Development and the Implementing Opinions of the ‘Programme of China Educational Reform and Development’both issued by the State Council in 1993, the“211 Project” meant to build approximately 100 universities and key disciplinary spots in the 21st Century. With the system reform and development of many years, the preliminary popularization of higher education was attained. The state raised the strategic goal of building a strong country in higher education in the new situation, and all universities and colleges should play emphasis on the cultivation of innovative talents and the improvement of teaching quality consequently. Then NCEPU started the third phase construction of “211 Project” at such a new historical starting point.

    President Liu held that the third phase construction of “211 Project” should be implemented with regard to the scientific Outlook on development, and we must re-study, re-think and re-plan what a university to build and how to build it well. Therefore, he raised the following requirements.

    1. Through years of development, NCEPU has already entered into a steady developing period in schooling scale, discipline patterns, infrastructure construction, management innovation and other aspects, therefore quality project, talents project and innovation project should be the focus of our future work. We shall further improve our teaching quality, speed up our scientific innovation, improve study style and school ethos, strengthen the teachers’ troop construction and promote the process of building a high-level and research-based university.

    2. In carrying out the third construction phase of “211 Project”, we should work out an innovative, school-oriented and scientific program highlighting preponderant disciplines, work creatively with bold assumption rather than illusion, and then properly allocate manpower, financial and material resources to attain the goal.

    3. Consider features of NCEPU, plan and demonstrate the third construction phase of “211 Project” rationally under the guidance of Scientific Outlook on Development, and connect the frontier of disciplines with national strategic targets and regional developmental requirements. After decades of development and struggle, NCEPU becomes one of the members of “211 Project”. In recent years, key state level projects which are built in our university have gained certain social recognition. Achievements brought about by development are beneficial for each of the professors, students, stuff and alumni. Students’ avenues of employment have been expanded, and the social positions of our alumni are also greatly improved. I hope that we comprehend the spirit of superior documents carefully, understand the current situation, and plan innovatively on the third construction phase program of “211 Project”. By making use of the “211 Project”, we will further develop our university into a high-level research-oriented university.

    Finally, secretary Wu made an important speech.

    He considered it as a significant act to carry out the third construction phase of “211 project” in order to meet the challenge of new world-wide innovation in science and to promote the higher education reform and development. It is useful for improving reform and development of higher education, for improving the quality of higher education, for building a university of a high level and constructing key subjects, for increasing innovation ability and international competitiveness of Chinese higher education, and for improving the ability of serving for economic construction and social development.

    Secretary Wu emphasized that the most important issue was how to perceive the present situation and how to make the future. He pointed out that there were three tasks that must be done in the third construction phase of “211 Project” listed as follows.

    1. We must attach importance to the planning and demonstration of the third construction phase of “211 Project”. This is a big issue related to the further development of our university and each school. Without “211”, it would be an empty talk of building a research university with high level for NCEPU. So we must keep a clear head to organize and formulate the program of plan and demonstrate the third construction phase of “211 Project to reach the new requirement of building an innovation-oriented country strong in human resources.

    2. We must have a clear target. In the process of plan and demonstrate the program of the third construction phase of “211 Project”, we should make full use of the supportive functions of arts, sciences and cross-disciplines, in addition to depending on strong disciplines. Each school should work actively to establish clear targets, relearn, re-plan and re-think. The file of General Planning on the Third Construction Phase of Higher Education “211 Project” which is jointly proposed by Ministry of Education, National Development and Reform Committee, and Ministry of Finance, explains the details of concrete requirements on how to make a perfect plan, so I hope all of the participants could learn and comprehend it carefully.

    3. Lay emphasis on subject construction, talents developments and scientific research innovation. From the scientific Outlook on Development view and the Development Plan of the Eleventh Five-year Plan of NCEPU, set the goal of building an innovation-oriented country strong in human resources based on the General Planning on the Third Construction Phase of “211 Project” of Higher Education and Outline of National Medium-and-Long Term Scientific and Technological Development Program. With regard to the reality of the university and the scientific frontier, we should make scientific programs and carry out key construction when considering the major developing requirement of the nation, the regional economy and society, as well as the power industry itself. We should try to make great breakthrough in the construction of key disciplines, lay emphasis on the cultivation of creative personnel and team construction, and actively promote institutional innovation through overall consideration and resultant  force .

    Secretary Wu thought the planning formulation and demonstration work of the third construction phase of “211 Project” was an important task with a tight schedule, so he hoped each school and all functional departments would carefully study and discuss all relevant issues when pursuing excellence as the NCEPU spirit required.