Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) President Chen Shiyi was invited to speak at the Times Higher Education (THE) Young Universities Summit in Surrey, UK. The 2019 THE Young Universities Summit took place between June 26^th and 28^th, 2019.

President Chen Shiyi was invited to a panel discussion titled “How to start a highly-ranked university.” As part of his presentation in the discussion, he presented a speech entitled The path of a new innovative Chinese university in an emerging international metropolis, and spoke about SUSTech’s achievements and unique features, while analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. President Chen Shiyi emphasized SUSTech’s role in supporting strategic and future sustainable development in Shenzhen.

The panel discussion saw considerable debate about the challenges for young universities, including rankings and attracting high-quality faculty. There was also intense discussion about the symbiotic relationship that should exist between universities and cities, as well as the relationship between a STEM curriculum and a liberal arts education.

The panel was chaired by Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer of Times Higher Education. President Chen Shiyi was joined by with Alain Fuchs, President of PSL University (Paris Sciences et Lettres), and Judy Raper, founding dean of PLuS Engineering.

The theme for the 2019 THE Young Universities Summit was, “Embracing risk, creating opportunities.” More than 230 experts and scholars from 34 countries and regions around the world were in attendance, listening to high-quality discussions on topics such as “Lessons learned at a young university,” “Responding to change, building resilience: the institutional perspective,” “What does ‘future-ready’ look like?” and “Higher education and planning for an uncertain future.”

During the Summit, the ranking results of the 2019 Times Higher Education Young University Rankings were released. SUSTech was ranked 55^th in the world and 1^st in mainland China.

2019 Times Higher Education Young University Ranking – https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/young-university-rankings