On January 19, 2011, the expanded meeting of the Presidents of the Association of Chinese Graduate Schools(ACGS）was held at Peking University. President Zhou Qifeng of Peking University, Dean Chen XI of Graduate School, Executive Vice President Wang Yanglin of Graduate School, Executive Vice President Xu Jun of Graduate School of Nanjing University, Executive Vice President Guo Xiangqun of Graduate School of Xiamen University, Executive Vice President Chen Tianning and Vice President Li Xiubing of Graduate School of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Executive Vice President Li Zhibin of Graduate School of East China Normal University, and personnel in charge of the Annual Report on China's Graduate Education and Liao Xiaoling, Director of the Secretariat of the Joint Committee, attended the meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Chen XI, Secretary General of the Joint Committee. The meeting held a lively discussion on the annual work points of the Joint Committee in 2011 and reached a consensus. It was decided that: to do a good job in cooperating with the national celebration of the 30th anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of degree regulations; to continue to do a good job in supporting graduate education in the western region and to implement specific counterpart support projects; to continue to promote the reform of graduate training mechanism; to further improve the international exchange activities of graduate education, and to send a delegation of deans to attend the 2011 annual meeting of CGS in the United States. It was decided to send a delegation of deans to attend the 2011 annual meeting of CGS in the United States and participate in other international exchange activities of graduate education. The meeting also discussed issues related to the 2011 working meeting and the 2011 annual meeting of the Joint Committee.

In particular, the meeting discussed the sustainable compilation of the Annual Report on Graduate Education in China: the discussion draft of the Annual Report on Graduate Education in China (2010) was reviewed, and the theme of the 2011 Annual Report was discussed, and the participants expressed their own views and put forward many constructive opinions and suggestions, emphasizing that the annual report should be combined with the spirit of the National Education Work Conference and focus on international graduate education. It was emphasized that the annual report should be combined with the spirit of "National Education Work Conference", pay attention to the new trends of international postgraduate education development, combine the new situation of postgraduate education in China and the hot issues of common concern, and conduct a deep study on the basic themes of postgraduate training quality in China. It is suggested that the 2011 annual report conducts more in-depth theoretical discussions and empirical analysis on issues such as curriculum construction, scientific research innovation, degree evaluation and international cooperation, portraying the current situation and gaining insight into the problems. Let the Annual Report truly become an advisory report reflecting the current situation of postgraduate education in China, provide decision-making support to the relevant national departments, and become a guidebook for universities and other postgraduate training institutions.

The meeting highly praised and thanked the Graduate School of East China Normal University and its Institute of Higher Education, which are responsible for compiling the Annual Report. The meeting formed a resolution that the Joint Council of Deans continued to entrust East China Normal University with the compilation of the Annual Report and issued a letter of commission in this regard. The graduate schools of the Joint Council have the responsibility and obligation to assist. At the same time, graduate schools with interests and research bases are welcome to jointly participate in its relevant research work, and the meeting ended in a relaxed and warm atmosphere. It was a well-prepared and comprehensive meeting, which achieved the expected effect and was a complete success.

Pictures of the first Presidential Deans' Meeting in 2011:

Speech by Zhou Qifeng, President of Peking University and former Asecretariat of Association of Chinese Graduate Schools

Speech by Chen XI, Secretary General of the Joint Council and Dean of Graduate School of Peking University

Dean Li Zhibin of East China University of Science and Technology accepts the relevant commission letter

Secretariat of ACGS

January 20th, 2011