From June 26th to 28th, 2009, the follow-up meeting of the delegation to Hong Kong organized by the Graduate School of Lanzhou University was held in Lanzhou. The meeting further discussed the current situation of China's postgraduate cultivation mechanism reform and its future development in the light of the specific practice of the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism in mainland China. Liang Guoxiong, Vice Director of Academic Degrees Office of the State Council, Ren Zenglin, Director of Industrial and Agricultural Division of Academic Degrees Office of the State Council, Liao Xiaoling, Director of Secretariat of National Association of Chinese Graduate Schools(ACGS）and Professor Zheng Xiaojing, Vice President of Lanzhou University attended the conference, and representatives of 31 graduate schools went to Hong Kong for study and exchange attended the conference.

The conference was chaired by Prof. Li Liguang, deputy head of the delegation of the Association of Chinese Graduate Schools(ACGS）to Hong Kong and vice president of the Graduate School of Tongji University. Prof. Zheng Xiaojing, Vice President of Lanzhou University, firstly delivered a welcome speech on behalf of the university. She briefly introduced some situations of degree and postgraduate education and discipline construction of Lanzhou University and some explorations of Lanzhou University to carry out the reform of cultivation mechanism. She pointed out that the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism should mobilize the enthusiasm of supervisors and students, and the active participation of supervisors is the key to the success of cultivation mechanism reform. The reform of cultivation mechanism is not only significant to improve the quality of innovative talents cultivation, but also plays an important role in driving the timely change of the whole degree and postgraduate education management and realizing the return of academic power, which is a milestone in the degree and postgraduate education of Lanzhou University.

In his speech, Director Liang Guoxiong fully affirmed the effectiveness of the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism implemented by Lanzhou University. He pointed out that the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism is one of the key tasks of the Ministry of Education, and although some problems have been encountered in the process of implementation, it is generally more effective and the positive aspects are mainstream, and efforts should be made to promote it steadily. The purpose of the reform is to cultivate high-level innovative talents for the society, to promote the development of degree and postgraduate education, and also to solve the employment difficulties of students. Universities with graduate schools should think more and explore more, play a greater exemplary role in promoting the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism, and use critical thinking to do a good job in cultivation mechanism reform. He stressed that in the process of promoting the reform of cultivation mechanism, attention should be paid to the innovative cultivation mode, which can be broadly divided into three types: academic, academic application-oriented and professional degree. The cultivation types are different, thesis submission forms can be diverse, and the evaluation standard of cultivation quality is diversified, not unique, developed and not set in stone. At present, the large-scale enrollment of postgraduates makes it difficult to ensure that there are enough scientific research topics for postgraduate training, and scientific evaluation criteria should be explored in depth. At the same time, the training of doctoral students should be given high attention, and should be regarded as a combination of students and researchers, and efforts should be made to cultivate them to become the main body of innovation, to better realize the combination of education and scientific research, and to make greater contributions to the social and economic development of the country.

Professor Xu Huaimin, head of the delegation to Hong Kong and executive vice president of Graduate School of China University of Petroleum (Beijing), presided over the closing ceremony. Ren Zenglin, Director of the Department of Industry and Agriculture of the Academic Degrees Office of the State Council, briefly introduced the guiding opinions on the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism being drafted by the Academic Degrees Office of the State Council, and put forward specific requirements for the summary of the exchange visit of the Joint Dean's Association to Hong Kong, and also answered the questions of concern encountered in the process of implementing the cultivation mechanism reform.

Professor Xu Huaimin made a detailed "Summary Report of the Exchange Visit" to the conference, giving a general introduction to the situation of postgraduate education in Hong Kong universities and putting forward thoughts and suggestions on promoting the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism in China in the light of the actual situation in China. He highly praised that the delegates could attend this summing-up and exchange meeting in their busy schedules, which reflected the importance of graduate schools to this work. He hoped that all the delegates could integrate the experience learned from the visit to Hong Kong and the inspiration from this follow-up meeting into their work practice, and actively contribute to the work of steadily promoting the reform of postgraduate cultivation mechanism in China.

The delegates spoke enthusiastically and expressed their views, and the whole meeting was warm and friendly. Everyone expressed that this meeting was timely and successful, and it is of great significance to further promote the reform of China's postgraduate training mechanism steadily.(Graduate School of Lanzhou University Contributed)

Secretariat of ACGS

June 30th, 2009