China's Tsinghua calls for more openness, integration, resilience among global universities

BEIJING -- A consensus was released by China's Tsinghua University on Saturday to promote closer cooperation with global universities.

The consensus highlighted the importance of building more open, integrative and resilient universities all over the world.

During the Global Forum of University Presidents (GFUP 2021) on Saturday, the eve of the 110th anniversary of Tsinghua University, Qiu Yong, president of the university, said in his speech that more open, integrative and resilient universities would promote inclusive environments to address the challenges of the new era, break through physical boundaries, disciplinary barriers and technological limitations.

"In the last sixteen months, higher education has been tested by a once-in-a-century pandemic. But COVID-19 has only added to a long list of severely disruptive global challenges, like climate change, social inequality and the threat to international collaboration and exchange," Qiu said.

"Through this test, we now understand the effort needed to overcome threats of this magnitude, and we have proven that even closer collaboration will be needed to overcome future challenges."

He called on universities to remain steadfast in cultivating their values and identity as well as remain connected with each other and focused on the future by embracing innovation.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a congratulatory letter to the GFUP 2021, saying that universities have a central role to play in addressing longstanding global challenges, by nurturing new generations of young leaders and global citizens, promoting digital cooperation and helping to ensure access to quality education.

Francesco Ubertini, the rector of the University of Bologna, put forward the view that more open universities are a global need.

Stephen Kiama Gitahi, vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi, said that building resilience in universities required global partnership, and collective global responsibilities while various universities brought in their unique strengths and engaged together in developing sustainable solutions to addressing global challenges.

Peter Salovey, president of Yale University, said that the integrative approach is crucial to their success, and it fuels discoveries that improve lives today and in the future.

The forum was held both online and offline in Beijing, attracting more than 800 representatives from over 330 universities globally and 77 international organizations and academic institutions.

Tsinghua University has cooperated with 293 universities from more than 50 countries and has signed almost 20 strategic sci-tech cooperation agreements.