From May 14 to 16, the International Conference on the Role of Internationalization Strategies in Building a World-Class University, hosted by Beihang University, with support from Erasmus+ KA2 Capacity Building Project, was held at the Second Conference Hall. University leaders, officials from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and leading scholars in the field of higher education spoke at the conference. Over 130 representatives from 76 universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) in 17 countries participated.
The conference addressed key challenges and trends in the internationalization of higher education. It focused on the internationalization strategies of HEIs and how these strategies may propel universities to world-class standards. The conference was comprised of keynote speeches, plenary meetings, parallel sessions and panel discussions.
The opening ceremony on the morning of May 15 was hosted by Professor LI Deyu, Director of International Division. Vice President Professor HUANG Haijun delivered the opening remarks. He noted that internationalization has become an unavoidable pathway towards building world-class universities in the age of globalization. Beihang has attached great importance to its internationalization strategies and hopes to collaborate with universities around the world in both education and research to achieve common development.
Following the opening ceremony were the plenary sessions chaired by Professor LEI Qing, Executive Director of the Institute of Higher Education. One of the session’s highlights was the keynote address by the renowned Professor Ulrich Teichler from the International Centre for Higher Education Research and the Department of Social Science, University of Kassel. In his speech, Professor Teichler reviewed major themes in the internationalization of higher education, performed an analysis of the major existing models and issues, and mapped out the outlook for international higher education.
Other highlights in the plenary session included:
CSC Deputy Secretary-General Ms. LI Qing’s speech on CSC scholarships and international education for postgraduates;
Deputy Director of Beihang International Division Ms. LU Ying’s talk on the global engagement strategy of Beihang;
Professor Vicenç Fernández’s report on the outcome of the WELCOME Project;
Professor Anthony Welch’s talk on the development of international education in China;
Professor HUANG Futao’s presentation on enhancing the international competitiveness of universities in Japan.
On the afternoon of May 15th, the conference culminated with two parallel sessions on internationalization at Chinese universities and global trends in international higher education, and finally a plenary panel discussion on the future of the internationalization of higher education.
The conference brought together leading scholars and practitioners from the field of international higher education. The views and opinions exchanged during the meeting shed light on the possible paths higher education might take towards internationalization, providing valuable lessons for building “Double World-Class” universities in China.
