The 17th International Advisory Committee Meeting of Tongji SEM Successfully Held

As the “14th Five-Year Plan” draws to a close and the blueprint for the “15th Five-Year Plan” is in hand, the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, held its 17th International Advisory Committee Meeting on December 5th. Chinese and foreign committee members gathered both online and offline to review the school’s achievements during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, jointly explore how to map out the development blueprint for “Tongji SEM in the next five years” along the path of “digital-intelligentization, greenization, and integration”, and seek new approaches and ecosystems for the reform and development of economics and management education in the AI era.

Prof. YANG Jinlong, President of Tongji University and Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Prof. LEI Xinghui, Former Vice President of Tongji University, attended the meeting. Prof. SHI Qian, Chairman of School Council, and the management Team were present. Prof. XIE En, Dean of the school, delivered a report on the school’s development, and the meeting was hosted by Prof. HUO Jiazhen, Director of the International Advisory Committee and Former Dean of Tongji SEM.

In his speech, Prof. YANG Jinlong introduced Tongji University’s major  initiatives in recent years to advance the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talents. He emphasized that the university closely aligns with the national major strategies and takes AI empowerment as the core driving force to accelerate the construction of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics and support the development of an education powerhouse. In the context of a rapidly changing economy and fast-evolving technologies, the School of Economics and Management should further deepen AI empowerment and transformation and upgrading, and forge ahead on the “path of transformation” for talent cultivation, the “path of breakthrough” for differentiated development, and the “path of conversion” integrating “science and technology + economics and management”.

He also expressed gratitude to all committee members for their strong support to the university’s development. He noted that the current period is a crucial time for systematically planning the development layout of the “15th Five-Year Plan”, and Tongji University is about to celebrate its 120th anniversary. He earnestly hoped that all committee members will provide guidance and support in helping the university secure more long-term resources and build broader cooperation platforms, so that they can better serve the high-quality regional economic development, and jointly advance  the role of artificial intelligence in empowering China’s endeavors to build strength in education, science and technology, and talent.

The attending committee members, both online and offline, included: Prof. WU Qidi, Former President of Tongji University and Former Vice Minister of Education; Prof. YU Lijuan, Vice President of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee; Prof. ZHOU Zhen, Former Executive President of Tongji University and Former Dean of SEM; Prof. LI Yuan, Chair Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Former Dean of Tongji SEM; Mr. LIU Xinyi, President of Shanghai International Group; Mr. SUN Jian, General Manager of Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Co., Ltd.; Mr. LIN Bin, Executive Vice President of Siemens Ltd., China and General Manager of Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Greater China; Mrs. LEE Hiu Hung, Global Chief Human Resource Officer of AESC Group Ltd.; Mr. ZHANG Lihua, President of Webasto China; Prof. Dr. Jörg STEINBACH, Former Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy of Brandenburg (Germany) and Former President of the Technical University of Berlin; Prof. Amir REZA, Dean of Babson Academy & Global Education, Babson College, USA; Prof. LUO Yadong, Emery M. Findley Distinguished Chair and Professor of Management at the University of Miami; Prof. TEO Hock Hai, Provost’s Chair Professor, School of Computing at National University of Singapore; Prof. Dr. Clas NEUMANN, SAP Senior Vice President, Head of Global SAP Labs Network; and Prof. Kenneth MCPHAIL, Dean of Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK. Mr. Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN, Special Representative of the French Government in China and Former Prime Minister of France, delivered a video speech for the meeting.

Committee members offered valuable suggestions and insights on the School’s development strategy for the next five years. They affirmed the school’s approach and initiatives to promote transformation and development through the “three dimensions” ( digital- intelligentization, greenization, and integration), and hoped that the school will continue to integrate the integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talents throughout the entire process of building first-class disciplines, promote the integrated and systematic development of disciplines, programs, and talents, enhance its capacity for scientific and technological innovation in serving society, improve the alignment of talent cultivation with national and socioeconomic development needs, and further deepen the industry–education integration as a driving force for sustainable development.

In his video speech, Mr. Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN stated that universities play a crucial role in the exchange of civilizations and cultures, particularly in areas such as the cultivation of young talent and leadership. Cross-cultural exchange not only enriches the cultural content of each society but also improves educational philosophies and teaching methods, which is essential for cultivating cross-cultural young talents in the field of management.

Committee members from the industry suggested that the school should further strengthen links with the global business community and ecological resources, enhance students’ in-depth practice in enterprises, pay attention to AI application scenarios in different fields and enterprises around the world, actively carry out cooperation in digitalization, intelligence, and greenization, and further expand international influence.

During the meeting, Prof. YANG Jinlong presented letters of appointment to the three new committee members: Prof. Dr. Jörg STEINBACH, Prof. LUO Yadong, and Prof. TEO Hock Hai.

The meeting was attended by the university’s leadership responsible for the school, department heads, faculty representatives, directors of administrative departments, and student representatives. In response to the committee members’ suggestions, Prof. SHI Qian, Chairman of School Council, stated that the school will continue to leverage Tongji’s advantages in disciplines, talents, and technology, in line with the university’s strategy for international cooperation and exchange. The school will focus on bridging the gap between scientific research and industrial application, and ensure that the integration of science, technology, and socioeconomic development is effectively implemented. Prof. XIE En, Dean of the school, emphasized that the school will further break down disciplinary barriers, strengthen interdisciplinary integration, take “digital- intelligentization, greenization, and integration” as the core path to empower the high-quality development of the school, and promote the resonance of talent cultivation, discipline development, and scientific research with national major strategies.

The International Advisory Committee of the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, was established in 2008. As an important part of the school’s governance structure, it aims to promote exchanges and cooperation between the school and government agencies, well-known enterprises, and top business schools at home and abroad.