“Duke Kunshan University and its proposed new innovative undergraduate curriculum represent an exciting opportunity to stimulate and harness student creativity as well as advance the role of liberal arts education in China.” This was the conclusion shared by leaders in business, education and various civic sectors who gathered along with senior leaders from Duke Kunshan University, Duke University, Wuhan University and Kunshan on Duke Kunshan campus for the 2016 annual meeting of the university’s Advisory Board held on April 22 and 23. Twelve members of the Duke University Board of Trustees, who were on a special visit to Duke Kunshan, also attended the meeting.
Duke Kunshan Chancellor Liu Jingnan, Executive Vice Chancellor Denis Simon and Duke University President Richard Brodhead opened the meeting. They presented a recap of Duke Kunshan’s achievements in education and research over the last year, recent updates in China’s higher education landscape, and the opportunities and challenges facing Duke Kunshan. While acknowledging the multiple levels of complexity involved in pushing ahead with the school’s existing graduate and research programs and the proposed undergraduate program, the three leaders explained how Duke Kunshan was well positioned to educate a cohort of innovative thinking students who would be capable of living and working effectively and ethically in the globalized world of the 21st century.
2016 Annual Meeting Group Photo
The presentation of the proposed undergraduate curriculum was followed by lively member exchanges. Members praised the curriculum’s design and structure, which are based on six core animating principles. Of particular interest was “rooted globalism,” the intention that each graduate of Duke Kunshan will leave the campus with a high degree of global awareness and cross-cultural sensitivity while still maintaining deep connectivity to his or her own national and cultural origins.
Gao Xiqing, professor at Tsinghua Law School, Duke University trustee and Duke Kunshan University Advisory Board member, pointed out a rising awareness of the importance of liberal arts education in China. ‘It is widely believed that Chinese universities should offer a more flexible, open-ended undergraduate curriculum that allows students greater opportunity for creative expression and for blending together multiple clusters of knowledge across several disciplines; we must allow our young people the room to break down many of the persistent barriers to innovative thinking,’ said Gao. ‘There is an increasing number of parents who embrace the idea of ‘liberal arts education.” He stressed that China’s efforts to build a more knowledge-driven, innovation-oriented economy “will hinge on talented young people who are distinctly prepared to redefine the frontiers of knowledge.”
Gao Xiqing
One of the most engaging sessions focused on the changing complexion of the workplace and the evolving talent requirements for economic success. According to former Banking Commissioner Liu Mingkang, “the graduates of Duke Kunshan University will be positioned to create the jobs of the future rather than simply accepting the jobs in the workplace as it is currently structured.” Liu stressed that because this new generation of college aged students may change jobs and careers multiple times during their professional lives, it is essential to ensure that they are flexible, agile thinkers who possess a dual capacity for critical thinking and entrepreneurship.
Advisory Board Member Input Session
‘We are deeply grateful for all of the advisory group members who took time out of their busy schedules to be at this meeting. They brought many insights to help advance Duke Kunshan’s education model, curriculum design, pedagogical approaches and education philosophy,’ said Chancellor Liu. ‘We also are pleased to see that board members offered to help the university foster student-driven innovation by providing internship and research opportunities.’
Chancellor Liu Jingnan
The advisory board members concluded in the wrap-up session that future leaders will need skills in working in teams, thinking critically and innovatively, and communicating cross-culturally, all of which are qualities and capabilities embedded in the Duke Kunshan education model. ‘I believe we will create a dynamic community of proactive global citizens.’ said Richard Wagoner, chair of the Duke Kunshan University Advisory Board and former Chairman and CEO of General Motors. “The undergraduate curriculum currently under design will be unique. Students from both China and around the world will benefit from an education that is focused on China and with global influence,’ said Wagoner.
Richard Wagoner
Reflecting on the two-day meeting, Executive Vice Chancellor Denis Simon commented, ‘Today we have heard many creative new ideas that will help us redefine how we should evolve our programs, how we might better position our school in the educational marketplace, and how we can better tailor our curriculum for students both from China and from around the world. We are thankful for having such thoughtful individuals on our advisory board.’
Executive Vice Chancellor Denis Simon
