At the invitation of the President of CGS, a delegation of deans was organized by the Joint Council of Deans of Chinese Graduate Schools (JCGS) to attend the CGS 2010 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. from November 30 to December 13, 2010, under the leadership of Wang Enge (Dean of Graduate School of Peking University) and Wu Xiaolin (Deputy Secretary of Party Committee of China University of Petroleum (Beijing)), Li Zhibin (Executive Vice President of Graduate School of East China Normal University) and He Gaohong (Vice President of Graduate School of Dalian University of Technology). The delegation attended the 2010 Annual Meeting (and 50th Anniversary Celebration) of CGS in Washington, D.C., and visited several famous universities.

The delegation first attended the CGS 2010 Annual Meeting from December 1 to 4. The main topics of the conference included: the next 50 years of graduate education - from the nation to the world; major issues facing graduate education and resistance to reform; quality assessment and accountability in graduate education; trends of change in graduate education - conducting diversity programs. The Future Path of Graduate Education in the United States and Proactive Government Strategies, etc. The four-day conference was informative and well-paced. The deans listened to the relevant reports arranged by the conference and further understood the current situation and development trend of U.S. graduate education, as well as the problems faced by U.S. graduate education and the hot spots they focused on, many of which are worthy of our reference and consideration.

Wang Enge, academician of Peking University Graduate School, made a speech on behalf of ACGS in the session of "International Organization of Graduate School Deans: Seeking Opportunities for International Dialogue", introducing the background of the establishment, responsibility and mission, membership, operation and main work of ACGS, and briefly He also introduced the model of international cooperation in graduate education in China. On behalf of ACGS, Vice Dean Tian Wenjing of Graduate School of Jilin University made a speech in the session of "Quality Assessment in a Global Context". Their speeches received great attention from the foreign colleagues.

After the meeting, the delegation of deans visited Princeton University. The delegation was received by William B. Russel, Dean of the Graduate School of Princeton University. Both sides introduced the history, current situation, system, and management of graduate education in their countries, etc. William B. Russel especially mentioned some basic information of Princeton University's graduate training and seriously answered the relevant questions raised by the Chinese delegation. During the symposium, both sides discussed the management of graduate education, internationalization of graduate education, professional selection and employment of graduate students, professional degree graduate training and other hot issues of common concern in the field of graduate education between China and the United States at present, and reached a consensus on many aspects of the process of graduate training.

In the subsequent study visit, the delegation also visited Columbia University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles and other famous American universities.

By attending the 2010 annual meeting of CGS` and visiting famous American universities, the delegation of Chinese graduate school deans learned and studied the successful experience of foreign graduate education, and publicized and displayed our own achievements. It is an important practice for China and the U.S. to enhance understanding and promote exchanges in the field of graduate education, which greatly enhances the international influence of China's graduate schools.

Pictures of the Dean's delegation to the U.S. for the conference and study tour:

President Wang Enge presents a gift to CGS on behalf of the Joint Committee

President Wang Enge delivered a speech at the conference

Group photo of all delegation members

Visit to princeton university

Secretariat of ACGS

December 18th, 2010