University has hopes to impress historians, promote globalization

Foreign students pass statues of eight renowned history professors at Shandong University, which has strengths in historical studies. Yang Yunlei / For China Daily

More than 2,000 historians from around the globe will meet at Shandong University on Aug 23 for the 22nd International Congress of Historical Sciences.

"The ICHS is a great festival for domestic and global historians to interact with each other," said Zhang Rong, president of Shandong University.

"It is a great opportunity for further globalization of the university," Zhang said.

"We have been making preparations five years in advance," he added, "over 200 professors and experts in our university are scheduled to attend the congress while over 500 students will offer services."

The history of Shandong University dates back to 1901, when the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) government founded Shandong Academy, the second university in the nation.

After more than a century's development, the university is now among the top 39 universities of China, with both national and global influences.

It has branches in Weihai and Qingdao, as well as research institutions in major coastal cities outside Shandong province.

Currently, the university has more than 60,000 students, including 16,000 postgraduates. Its 400,000 graduates are making contributions to the nation's development in their own posts.

The university's alumni range from State leaders to distinguished scholars, as well as entrepreneurs and ambassadors, while its faculty include Nobel Prize laureates, top academicians and young, vigorous scholars enlisted by various programs in the nation.

To improve its education quality, Shandong University has also been recruiting overseas. Every year it invites more than 400 foreign experts.

Peter Grnberg, the 2007 winner of Nobel Prize for Physics, is among the international experts working fulltime at the university.

"Shandong University is open to students from all around the globe," Zhang said. "We are among the first domestic universities to accept international students and teach Mandarin to them - over 3,000 foreign students attend our courses every year."

Education for international students includes 108 courses in 14 subjects taught in English. Those with distinguished academic potential can receive various scholarships, while those needing financial assistance can also apply for funding, according to Zhang.

"Located in Shandong, the birthplace of Confucius, the university has incomparable advantages in traditional Chinese culture research," Zhang said. "We also take it as our historical responsibility to inherit the traditions and pass them to our coming generations."

He said the university is creating platforms for the study of Chinese culture, including the Global Association for Chinese Tradition Studies, Confucianism Coordination and Innovation Center, as well as the Nishan Forum on World Civilization, a forum held in Confucius's hometown of Nishan to examine global values.

In the field of science and technology, the university is making progress and participating in programs such as the ATLAS Large Hadron Collider and Alpha Magnet Spectrograph.

Zhang said globalization has always been Shandong University's strategy. Currently, the university has formed cooperative ties with more than 220 colleges and universities globally, which cover student exchanges, research cooperation and exchange of faculty.

The university has also opened eight Confucius Institutes in seven Western nations to help promote Chinese language and culture teaching. It also has the only experience center for Chinese culture for overseas students, attracting a large number of international students every year.

"History has granted Shandong University new opportunities," Zhang said. "By the 22nd session of ICHS, we will not only impress global historians, but also promote the globalization of our university."

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn