Washington DC,Staged the First "Lingnan International Forum"

In order toincrease itsinternational recognition and academic reputation in North America, Lingnan (University) College of Sun Yat-sen University launched the first "Lingnan International Forum" in Washington, DC, USA on January 22, 2020. This forum,focusing on “Global Cooperation,Economic Development and Higher Education”, brought together Chinese and American higher-education devotees, and sparked visions for these three aspects.. The Lingnan International Forum, as a pre-meeting forum for the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, attracts number ofprincipals, deans, scholars, and guests from American universities and colleges. Participants exchangedopinionson the collaborationand development ofChina – US economy and higher education.
 

The forum invited professionals of higher-education communities from all over the world, including:

        Ms. Lynn Pasquerella, President of the American College Association

        Professor Kenyon Chan, President of Washington University

        Professor Craig Calhoun, former principal of the London School of Economics and Political Science

        Professor Leslie Wong, former president of San Francisco State University

        Professor Lenord Cheng, President of Lingnan University (Hong Kong)

        Professor Josep Franch, Dean of ESADE Business School of Spain

        Professor Carl P. Zeithaml, Dean of the McIntire School of Commerce,University of Virginia

        Professor Sri Zaheer, Dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota

        Professor Mary Hinton, President of St. Benedict College

        Dr. Ding-Jo Currie, President of the Lingnan Foundation, USA

 

In addition,quite a few outstanding Lingnan alumni entrepreneurs and scholars attended the forum and participated in the discussions as well, which fully demonstrated the attentionand contribution thatSYSU alumni give to the innovation and development of higher education. The participated alumni are:

        Mr. MO Hengyong, Managing Director and Chief Economist, American International Group (AIG)

        Mr. CHEN Guangzhe, Senior Director of Transportation Practice Bureau of World Bank

        Mr. CHEN Feng,Senior Simultaneous Interpreter forUnited Nations

        Ms. LUO Xubei, Senior Analyst with World Bank

        Professor HONG Han,Stanford University

        Mr. CHEN Hui, Professor of MIT Sloan School of Management

        Ms. XU Xiaoqing, Professor of Seton Hall University, USA

 

This international forum, composed of three sections:keynote speeches, seminars, and panel dialogue, was chaired by Professor LU Jun, Dean of Lingnan (University) College of Sun Yat-sen University.

 

At the beginning of the forum, Dean LU introducedthe guests, academics, and alumni representatives, and expressed his sincere welcome to them.. On behalf of all thefaculty, staff,and students of the college, Dean LUextended his heartfelt thanks to the American Association of Colleges and Universities, Lingnan Foundation, scholars and alumni who had providedgreat supportduring the preparation of the forum.

 

Dean LU mentioned that in recent years, the global economy and finance had undergone tremendous changes, and the global economic integration had become remarkably evident. As the two largest economies in the world, the United States and China shall collaborate more closely to pursue mutual benefits. Other than that, how to adapt to this new economic environment is becoming a common topic for all business schools across the globe.

 

 

Keynote Speeches

 

Dean LU thendelivered a presentation on "Comparative Analysis of Greater Bay Area Economy and Higher Education of China and U.S.", of which the extensive analysis, specific comparison and contrast, as well as the precise data drewattention from the auditorium and sparkedactive discussions. Professor Craig Calhoun, the former principal of London School of Economics and Political Sciencethen sharedhis opinions on"The Future of Higher Education in the Global Economic Context."Professor Craig Calhoun’s profound understanding and professional interpretation wasapplauded by theacademicsand guests. 

 

 

 

 

Symposiums

 

The forum also hadthree symposiums on the topicsof "Sino-US Economic Development Cooperation – Impactsand Risks", "Sino-US Higher Education Cooperation – Advantages and Opportunities", and "The Prospect of 2040 Higher Education at 2020". The participating scholars and entrepreneurs carried out a straight-out dialogue and shared their special views generously.

 

 

 

 

 

Panel Dialogue

 

The forum panel dialogue, chaired by Ding-Jo Currie, theChairman of the Lingnan Foundation, divided the audience, scholars and business representatives into small groupsfor them to have in-depth exchanges on criticalissues such asthe problems that facingby thehigher educational institutions in the two countries (U.S. and China), the directionof the future research as well astheformulated action plan. Academic expertsand corporate representatives presentedtheir unique viewswhile giving appropriate suggestionsfrom both academic and management perspectives.

 

 

 

Association of American Colleges & Universities，AAC&U

 

Established in 1915, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is dedicated inpromoting the development of liberal arts education in universities. The members of AAC&U include Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, University of Toronto, and other well-known universities. Every year, the association holdsaconference in different cities across the United States. Around 2,000 managers of colleges and universities in the countryareinvited to attend the conference.Variousworkshops are conducted for discussing the urgent problems in higher education systems along with the promotion of liberal arts education.

 

 

Lingnan Foundation

 

In 1893, the Lingnan Foundation was established as an independent legal entity in New York State. Being a non-profit organization, itsboard membersare mainly professionals. The goalof Lingnan Foundation is to supportthe higher educationaldevelopment in Lingnan region (including Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau), promotinghigh-quality education, academic diversity and innovation, and social services whileencouraging the exchanges and cooperationbetween China and the United Statesin areas ofacademic informationand ideologies.