On April 24, as part of the 110th anniversary of Tsinghua University (THU), President Dou Xiankang was invited to attend the General Conference of the Global Forum of University Presidents 2021 at THU where he took part in a roundtable discussion as a guest speaker.

With the theme of “Innovate for the Future: Vision and New Mission of Universities”, more than 100 university presidents from around the world gathered at THU and online to discuss how to drive new developments in the world of higher education and contribute to its future. Qiu Yong, President of THU, delivered the opening speech. UN Secretary General António Guterres delivered a congratulatory message.

With the keynote of building a more integrated and resilient university, President Dou pointed out that the world has been undergoing changes unseen in a century, reflecting on the development of universities from the perspective of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, universities should actively focus on the fundamental task of strengthening moral education and firmly stick to the central mission of talent cultivation. Recalling the outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of 2020, he said that although the virus kept teachers and students away from campus, it could not wear down their persistence in teaching and learning. Wuhan University (WHU) conducted a timely and in-depth investigation into the needs of students, correctly evaluated the progress of the epidemic, and launched more than 800 high-quality courses that integrated online and offline, on-campus and off-campus elements. The graduation ceremony of 2020 was designed as a patriotic education class to declare the decisive victory in Wuhan’s fight against COVID-19 as well as boost post-epidemic work and production resumption in Wuhan. “In addition, universities must be rooted in our motherland and take on the role of serving society.” President Dou said that WHU strongly supported its affiliated hospitals, Renmin Hospital and Zhongnan Hospital, to combat the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 and take the lead, becoming the main force in the battle against COVID-19.

Dou also believed that universities should always be open and inclusive in engaging in international cooperation. Since the outbreak, WHU has carried out in-depth and sustained cooperation in various forms on epidemic prevention and vaccine research with a number of foreign universities, including Ohio State University and Harvard University, jointly contributing to the global virus combat.

Dou stressed that to build a more resilient university, we must enhance the ability to handle various risks and challenges quickly in modern society. At the same time, it is necessary to bear in mind the mission of the university and do a solid job in personnel training and scientific research. Looking into the future, universities should uphold the concept of a community of shared future for mankind, while working together with an open attitude and a spirit of cooperation to solve major issues facing the world today, including climate change and environmental protection.

It was reported that the General Conference of Global Forum of University Presidents 2021 proposed the “Tsinghua Consensus” based on the discussions in the first four sub-forums, which is committed to promoting the further development of higher education.

Rewritten by Li Sijie

Edited by Qin Zehao, Wei Yena, Geng Jinwei