Director of Future Education and Management Research Centre at Peking University (PKU) and former President of PKU, Prof Lin Jianhua, gave a lecture on 'A Brief History of University' at the UIC University Hall on the afternoon of 11 December. This lecture was the second of Distinguished Lectures on Liberal Arts Education.
Prof Lin took European and American universities as examples to introduce in detail the development of universities under the influence of many factors such as technological revolutions, religious beliefs, military affairs and politics, etc.
By comparing the similarities and differences between university systems and education models in different countries, Prof Lin Jianhua analysed the positioning of Chinese university education from an international perspective. He said that in the past 40 years since China's reform and opening up, the number of higher education institutions in the Chinese Mainland had increased significantly. Prof Lin explained that the scale of enrolment has expanded, the gross enrolment rate and academic influence have increased year by year, and higher education has become universalised in China. All of the above indicate the continuous progress of Chinese education.
Prof Lin Jianhua suggested that universities should return to the initial intention of education, and make it clear that the core purpose of education is not just to teach knowledge, but to liberate students' minds and release their inner potential. Paying close attention to the students' internal needs, to cultivate them into sound, mature and more creative people is what universities should be doing explained Prof Lin. He also emphasised that university education is two-way, and teachers should give students full trust in teaching so that they can continuously explore, learn, and improve in practice.
Prof Lin concluded that universities should know their roles in today's society, and they still have to adhere to the core values of education when facing the impact of the information age. Universities should open boundaries and promote more quality educational resources and maintain diversified and sustainable development. Professor Lin Jianhua expressed expectations for UIC's liberal arts education and mentioned that universities should create better learning and growth experience for students with innovative ideas, and teaching and academic research can be more dynamic and creative.
UIC Provost Prof Chen Zhi presents a souvenir to Prof Lin Jianhua
In the question and answer session, Prof Lin Jianhua also put forward his personal opinion on the relationship between UIC Whole Person Education and more traditional education. In his opinion, whether it is Whole Person Education, professional education, or general education, they are all components of a diversified education that cultivates students. No matter what kind of education method is chosen, the purpose is to give students more educational choices, and fully stimulate and release the inherent potential of students.
Professor Lin Jianhua interacted with students
From MPRO
Reporter: Covee Wang
Photographers: Zhang Fan, Xu Yiheng
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He
