The 2003 Annual Meeting of the Association of Chinese Graduate Schools(ACGS）was held in Lanzhou University on September 12-16. The meeting was attended by Wu Qidi, Vice Minister of Ministry of Education, leaders of Finance Department of National Development and Reform Commission, leaders of relevant departments and bureaus of Ministry of Finance, Zhou Qifeng, Director of Academic Degrees Office of the State Council, Wang Yajie and Li Jun, Vice Directors of Academic Degrees Office, and directors of various divisions of Academic Degrees Office, and deans or executive vice deans of 57 graduate schools in China.

　　Vice President Ye Huiyuan of Shanghai Jiao Tong University presided over the opening ceremony. The president of Lanzhou University delivered a welcome speech and briefly introduced the situation of Lanzhou University; the leaders of Gansu Provincial Government delivered a speech and expressed their welcome to the participants and congratulations to the conference; Vice Minister Wu Qidi made an important report at the conference and made the deployment and requirements for the work in the future period. On the meeting, Vice Director Wang Yajie conveyed the spirit of the 20th meeting of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council; Director Xu of the Department of Finance of the National Development and Reform Commission made an important report; Director Liang Guoxiong of the Academic Degrees Office of the State Council made a report on "cost sharing of postgraduate education"; Peking University, Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, East China Normal University, China University of Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, etc. Peking University, Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, East China Normal University, China University of Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Lanzhou University and other 10 universities made presentations. In the closing ceremony, President Chen Haoming of Tsinghua University briefed about the successful holding of the first National Doctoral Forum; President Fang Jinyun of Chongqing University and President Zhang Jun of Northwestern Polytechnic University introduced the operation of "Graduate Innovation Base", a funded project of Graduate Education Innovation Project; Director Zhou Qifeng of Degree Office also introduced the work vision and general plan of Degree Office in the next few years. Director Zhou Qifeng also introduced the work vision and general plan of the Degree Office in the next few years.

　　In this annual meeting, the change of the chairmanship of the joint committee was also successfully completed. On behalf of the executive vice president of Peking University Graduate School, Mr. Zhang Guoguo, the president of the first presidency, reported the background, nature and mission of the joint presidency and the work carried out in the past four years to the conference. Graduate School of Peking University, Graduate School of Tsinghua University, Graduate School of Fudan University and Graduate School of Jilin University). The deans of the new presidency expressed that they would live up to the hope of the leaders of the Academic Degrees Office of the State Council and the trust of all of you, and cooperate with the secretariat to make the work of the Joint Council a success!

Asecretariat of ACGS

September 18th, 2003