Southeast University
Southeast University (SEU) is one of the national key universities administered directly under the Central Government and the Ministry of Education of China. It is also one of the universities of Project 211 and Program 985 that is financed by the Central Government to build as a world-class university. Located in the ancient capital city of Nanjing, Southeast University has campuses such as Sipailou ,Jiulonghu and Dingjiaqiao, covering a total area of 393 hectares.
Southeast University is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in China. Its origin can be traced back to 1902, when it was founded as Sanjiang Normal College. Then, it evolved as: Nanjing Higher Normal School, National Southeast University and National Central University. During the nationwide restructuring of institutions of higher learning in 1952, Nanjing Institute of Technology was established on the original site of National Central University. In May 1988, the university was renamed Southeast University. And in April 2000, Nanjing Railway Medical College, Nanjing College of Communications and Nanjing Geological School were merged into the university, whose main campus is located at the center of the ancient capital city of Nanjing, a sacred place for education since the Ming Dynasty.
Southeast University encourages the school spirit of "rigor, truthfulness, unity and diligence", i.e., adopting the rigorous, truthful, realistic scientific attitude and working spirit of full cooperation. In its over 100 years’ history, Southeast University has cultivated a great number of prominent and learned figures, and thus has greatly contributed to the nation`s revitalization and development. its graduates not only have excellent theoretical competence and practical skills, but also possess a wide range of knowledge and abilities.
Southeast University has become a comprehensive and research-oriented university featuring the coordinated development of such multi-disciplines as science, engineering, medicine, literature, law, philosophy, education, economics, management, art, etc., with engineering as its focus. The university boasts a high-level faculty of 2,659 full-time teachers, including 1800 full or associate professors, 786 doctoral supervisors, 1 786supervisors for masters, 11 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academy of Engineering, 2 members of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, 13 members of the discipline review group of the State Council, 27 distinguished experts of the national “Thousand Talents Program”, 40 “Cheung Kong Scholar” Professors, 5 winners of the national awards for top teachers, 35 granted with funds from the National Outstanding Youth Science Foundation, 3 preeminent experts involved in the national high-tech development project known as “Program 863”, 1 expert in the International Science & Technology Program, 2 experts for national major special projects, and 20 selected into the Talents Project initiated by the Ministry of Personnel of China for the development of high-level professionals and technical talents. At present, it has an enrollment of over 32,000 full-time students, including 14,000 postgraduate students; it also has over 3,300 on-the-job master’s degree candidates.
The university now comprises 29 schools or departments with 75 undergraduate disciplines in all. It boasts 29 and 49 disciplines respectively authorized to confer Ph.D. degrees and master’s degrees, 5 national key disciplines (comprising 15 sub-disciplines), 5 national key sub-disciplines, 1 national key (development) discipline, 13 disciplines in the development project for strong disciplines of universities based in Jiangsu Province, 14 provincial key disciplines and 30 post-doctoral research stations. It also boasts an array of key scientific research bases, including 3 national key laboratories, 3 national engineering research centers, 2 national research centers for engineering technology, 1 national professional laboratory, as well as 11 key laboratories and 5 engineering research centers granted by the Ministry of Education, etc..
In recent years, Southeast University, with its painstaking effort in discipline development, has achieved plentiful accomplishments. In the third round of China Discipline Ranking in 2012, 15 disciplines rank among the first 20% of all nationwide, 12 among the first seven, and 10 among the first five. Specially, the three disciplines of biomedical engineering, communication and transportation engineering as well as art theory rank first nationwide, occupying the seventh place in terms of the number; besides, the three disciplines of architecture, electronic science and technology as well as landscape architecture rank nationally second; the two disciplines of civil engineering as well as urban and rural planning, nationally third; the discipline of information and communication engineering, fourth; the discipline of instrument science and technology, fifth; the discipline of power engineering and engineering thermophysics, sixth; and the discipline of public health and preventive medicine, seventh. In addition, the seven disciplines of engineering science, materials science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, clinical medicine and computer science rank among the first 1‰ of global ESI database, in which engineering science ranks 75.
Southeast University, always sticking to the theory of “education-first” on school management, has been increasing input in teaching and intensifying the reform in education in its effort for the quality-oriented education and students’ development in terms of their spirit of innovation and ability of practice. In terms of undergraduate education, the university, while traditionally emphasizing basic knowledge, practice and quality, has put forward higher standards, i.e., pursuing excellence, going international and highlighting innovative research.
Southeast University is among the ten pilot colleges and universities for the reform of higher engineering education co-initiated by the Ministry of Education and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and one of the first colleges and universities which is carrying out the “education and development plan for outstanding engineers” and the “national innovative experiment plan for undergraduates” under the Ministry of Education; it is also among the first pilot colleges and universities for the implementation of the “education and development plan for outstanding doctors” co-initiated by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, as well as one of the pilot schools for the reform of the development mode for top and innovative medical professionals and of the five-year development mode for clinical medical professionals.
A total of 5 disciplines are selected into the state-level comprehensive pilot reform project and 23 are selected as the construction points of national characteristic disciplines; besides, 40 courses are awarded as the national superior courses, 35 courses are selected into the national course resource sharing construction program, 7 courses are awarded national public video course, 7 experiment centers are selected among the state-level demonstration centers and construction points for experiment teaching. 52 professors are selected into the National Steering Committee for Education and Instruction, among which 5 are selected as chairmen in related disciplines in institution for higher learning of the National Steering Committee for Education and Instruction, 7 are selected as vice-chairmen in the committee. 11 teams are awarded as the state-level teaching teams of innovation. 64 textbooks in 30 categories are selected as 12th Five-Year national programmed textbooks for undergraduate education. In addition, Southeast University boasts 4 national bases, 12 national trial plots for innovation in the personnel development mode, as well as 12 national education centers for engineering practice.
Chien-Shiung Wu School, supported with key disciplines, top teachers and best resources of the university, has become its “special zone for talent development”. Furthermore, a variety of extracurricular science-or-culture-related activities have been conducted with the plenty of practice bases both on and off campus. For instance, the university won 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal in the 8th Contest for Entrepreneurial Plans of Chinese University Students, ranking first nationwide in terms of the total points.
In terms of postgraduate education, Southeast University, in its effort to cultivate top-quality innovation-minded talents, has been pushing forward the reform in postgraduate education by continually changing the mode of teaching and optimizing the curriculum system. Respectively 20 and 31 dissertations in total have been awarded or nominated as the “National One-Hundred Outstanding Doctoral Dissertations”, with 4 awarded and 3 nominated in 2013.
Ever since it launched the “Project of State-funded Overseas Studying to Develop Top Universities” in 2007, the university has sent 953 postgraduate students abroad in total, 367 of who aim for their Ph.D. degrees. At the same time, it has been actively conducting academic exchanges with both domestic and international schools and organizations, and promoting cooperation in joint school running. For example, Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou) co-built with Monash University of Australia, the first of its kind approved by the Ministry of Education, has had an enrollment of 386 students, and a graduation of 26 students; the collaboration with University of Rennes 1 of France has blazed a trail for the cooperation in postgraduate development and scientific research. Currently, respectively 294 and 120 international students from various countries and region are studying in the university for their master’s or doctor’s degrees.
Southeast University, taking as its own duty rejuvenating the country through science and education, has been conducting an array of basic research, basic research for application and research on high technology of strategic significance in line with the needs of national economic and social development; thus it has become a major base for high and new technology research with considerable social influence both at home and abroad. Its research fund reached RMB 1658 million in 2014. The applications for invention patents total 1914, of which 703 are licensed; besides, 13 PCT patents are applied for. The up-to-date statistics in 2014 show 1790 SCI papers, which ranks 20th nationwide, and 1969 EI papers, ranking 13th nationwide. Professor Lv Zhitao and his team received the national first prize for Science and Technology Advancementin 2014. In the year 2014, we have received one Second Class Prizes of the State Natural Science Award, one second class prizes of the State Technological Innovation Award, and two Second Class Prizes of Science and Technology Advancement Award as the first complete unit. In the past five years, Southeast University, as the lead-taking institution, have won 18 state-level science-and-technology-related awards.
SEU has made remarkable achievements in serving local economic construction. According to the statistical result made by Jiangsu province concerning the college research effort of science and technology serving for local development, SEU ranks the first in six indicators among the following seven, namely, science projects and teams, science funding, science base, four kinds of technical funding, transformation of scientific and technological achievements and project identification, patent condition and scientific awards. SEU Science Park aims to provide best service and support for the incubation of sci-tech enterprises and high-tech products, and cultivation of innovators and pioneers. It has planned and built itself into “one park with many locations”,successfully incubating more than 300 high-tech enterprises that own core technologies and independent innovation capabilities, like Wiscom Company, Tuniu Tourism Company, SEU Integrated Circuit System Engineering Limited Company, Nanjing Sample Technology Group, etc. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center of SEU Science Park is accredited by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education as one of China’s first batch of “Science and Technology Practice Base for College Student”.
In addition to the excellence in research and student cultivation, Southeast University is also taking an active part in setting up international cooperative programs with other countries. Up to now, it has signed agreements for friendly cooperation with more than 100 universities, research institutes or corporations including Cambridge University, University of Maryland, Lehigh University, ETH Zürich, Tohoku University, Technical University of Munich, University of Ulm, Monash University in Australia, University of Rennes 1, etc., which has contributed a great deal to the actual strength, international fame and development of the university. There are 1656 international students from more than 100 countries studying in SEU, including 1219 degree students. We have also established 3 Confucius Institutes in America and The Republic of Belarus.
In the summer of 2006, the headquarter was moved to Jiulonghu Campus, opening a new chapter in the history of SEU. Jiulonghu campus, located in the south part of Jiangning Development Zone, covers an area of 251.4 hectares. The architectural planning of the campus is based on the history and culture of SEU, combing the public central teaching cluster with the professional teaching clusters, thus formating a campus of forest and vitality, mingling the oriental and occidental styles. The Jiulonghu campus has a floorage of 690 thousand square meters, with architectures including teaching area, scientific research and experimental area, administrative area, undergraduate living quarter, graduate living quarter, faculty living quarter, logistics and security area, etc.. The university library covers an area of 66.9 thousand square meters, with a possession of 3971.7 thousand of all kinds of books and materials.
In the new century, SEU will deepen its reforms while carrying on its traditions. Aiming at excellence and innovativeness, it is headed for a international famous comprehensive research university around 2020, and a world-class university with global vision in 2035.
