Reported by: Ji Xuan
Translated by: Pang Yue
Edited by: D. Parker
Date: September 25, 2017
According to the news published on September 21st, 2017 by xinhuanet, Beijing, in the article “Notice of announcing the list of world-class universities, universities with world-class disciplines and respective disciplines” issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, HIT has been selected into the list of world-class universities and universities with disciplines (“double first-rate for short) and respective disciplines. HIT has been selected into the list of “Double First-rate Development of universities of Category A”, and 7 disciplines, namely Mechanics, Materials Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science and Engineering, Control Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Technology and Mechanical Engineering, have been selected into the list of “Double First-rate Development of disciplines”.
For years, HIT has earned full support from the government. In 1951, it was identified as one of the two universities with Soviet Union higher education mode, serving as an example for other universities. In 1954, it was selected as one of 6 universities that gained national full support, which was the only one not located in Beijing. In 1984, it was listed as one of the 15 universities earning full investment from the government. In 1996, it was one of the first universities to enter into the national “211 Project”. In 1999, it was identified as one of 9 universities in China that were progressing according to the criteria for world high-level universities.
“Double First-rate Development” is the short name of the development of world-class universities and disciplines. Its aim is to enhance the comprehensive strength of Chinese higher education and international competitiveness and provide full support for the realization of “Two Centenary Goals” and “China dream”. On October 24, 2015, the State Council issued “the overall plan of promoting the development of world-class universities and disciplines as a whole”, (“overall plan” for short), which demands the compliance of the strategic layout of “four comprehensive” and the decision deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council with the core of Chinese characteristics and world-class criteria, puts “training people with morality” in the first place as well as “supporting innovation driven development strategy and serving economic society” as the orientation and commits to the basic principle of “taking world-class university as the objective with disciplines as the foundation, performance as the lever and reform as the incentive” to speed up the development of world-class universities and disciplines. In January, 2017, a joint agreement by the State Council, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance and National Development and Reform Commission was issued. In the implementation stage it stated “the measures of implementation for promoting the development of world-class universities and disciplines as a whole (provisional)” (“measures of implementation” for short), and the “Double First-rate Development”. According to the“overall plan”and “measures of implementation”, with the principles of forging ahead stably, developing while creating as well as reform and development, universities on the list of“Double First-rate development”are selected through optimal competition, choice by experts, comparison by governments and dynamic screening. On the basis of hearing voices from all walks of life, the development has progressed incrementally and the vigor has been inspired through reform.
