In the blueprint of Chen Shiyi, Shenzhen is the Silicon Valley in China, which means SUSTech is the Chinese Stanford University. He believes SUSTech needs 10 years to become the best Chinese university and a world-class one, hoping people show their patience.
A few days ago, Chen Shiyi, SUSTech President and Delegate to NPC session was interviewed by Nanfang Metropolis Daily. He talked about the latest progress made in newly-established School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and collaboration with Chinese and overseas universities on jointly enrolling postgraduates. At the same time, President Chen also responded to questions concerning most SUSTech graduates choosing to study or work outside China after graduation, and the high property price impacting on introduction of talents to Shenzhen, etc.

“As the pilot-test region in higher education in China, SUSTech will continue the reform”, emphasized President Chen Shiyi in the interview, “In different stages, reform has different connotations. Reform should stay in line with development, which is the priority target.”
About students from poor families getting enrolled in key universities
631 Model might be the solution.

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: According to survey results, recent years has witnessed falling proportion of students from poor families getting enrolled in key universities. As stated in the Government Work Report this year, key universities will continue to expand size of enrollment in poverty-stricken rural areas.
Chen Shiyi: I fully agree with the Government Work Report made by the Premier. It is the national policy of China to enroll students in the universities, in particular in high-quality universities. I believe the Chinese government has always been emphasizing on education equity and quality. The Premier, in the Government Work Report, stated that in 2015 the number of students coming from poverty-stricken rural areas and enrolled in key universities rose by 10.5%.

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: In SUSTech, how many students come from cities and how many come from rural areas?

Chen Shiyi: The rural-urban student ratio in SUSTech is about 1:4, which is equivalent to the average level in the Chinese universities. SUSTech has established the well-developed rewarding & aiding system. It will provide all necessary resources to help the poor students. SUSTech will never have one student quitting because of financial difficulties. We adhere to the 631 Model. To be specific, College Entrance Exam scores take 60% of total scores, scores in the proficiency exams organized by SUSTech take 30%, in which 5% is the interview result, and scores in senior high school proficiency test take 10%. It means scores in College Entrance Exam are not the sole reference. Instead, the peacetime scores and performance in other aspects are also referred. In this way, the students’ potential is considered, the equity is represented, and the unity between equity and quality is shown. I believe it is a very good attempt.
Nanfang Metropolis Daily: Will urban students have more advantages in the interview?

Chen Shiyi: Not necessarily. Because rural students have more life experience, probably they can present greater personality. We hope to enroll students with unique features, compassion and original ideas. Hope they have critical thinking and plan for their own life. Rural students are not necessarily outperformed by urban students. 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: Why are we seeing fewer students from poor families getting enrolled by key universities?

Chen Shiyi: I have not read authoritarian statistics in this regard. It is probably because of the exam-oriented education system. For instance, students from wealthier families can afford the extra-hour lecturing or private tutoring. I think the 631 Model of admission adopted in SUSTech is a good solution, which emphasizes on composite knowledge and ability, but not the exam-taking ability and textbook knowledge alone. Nowadays, many Chinese universities are enrolling their students in the similar approach. 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: Will SUSTech take the same admission model this year? 

Chen Shiyi: We will continue to adopt the 631 Model of admission this year. We will enroll 1,000 undergraduates in 22 Chinese provinces, including more than 130 students in Guangdong Province. We have received support from Guangdong Department of Education to trial enroll 50 international students so that we can have more practical international development. 

About SUSTech positioning

10 years is needed for SUSTech to become the best university in China 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: Are you too rash to promise that SUSTech will catch up with Tsinghua University and Peking University by 2024? Do you mean discipline building by saying “catch up with”?

Chen Shiyi: We should be ambitious and practical at the same time. “Catch up with” means establishing our own comparative advantages in a few key points. First, talents. I hope the quality of our professors is in the same level as those, or even better than those in the leading Chinese universities. Second, I hope SUSTech does better in original innovation and quality of talents that we cultivate. Third, I hope SUSTech can become the Chinese Stanford University. We advocate research, innovation and entrepreneurship spirit. Shenzhen is the Silicon Valley in China. We hope to work with Shenzhen to generate limitless opportunities to serve communities, put techs into operation, support technological progress and industrialization in China, and make unique contributions to economic progress. We hope to reshape SUSTech every 5 years so that we can become the best in China. I believe it will take us 10 years to ensure 10 disciplines in SUSTech rank among Top 10 in China.

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: At present, China is strongly advocating “innovation”. The Ministry of Education also requires the Chinese universities open the programs of innovation and entrepreneurship. Is this the same as innovation that you talked about?
Chen Shiyi: I think they share the same philosophy. SUSTech is also preparing for the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship so that students can learn theory programs on innovation and entrepreneurship. The famous entrepreneurs will be invited to work as the part-time teachers in SUSTech, who will stimulate the students’ thinking, bring them to corporate and project practice. From this year on, we will adopt the 3-semester system. By lengthening summer semester, students will have more optional time, during which they can enrich their experience in innovation and entrepreneurship by working in enterprises, the labs of their teachers or even in other countries. 

 About future development of SUSTech graduates

It will not maintain its position as the “preparatory university for overseas studies”. 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: What do you think of the fact that most of SUSTech graduates have gone overseas?

Chen Shiyi: Of the 29 first-batch graduates, 23 went overseas. But it does not mean all SUSTech graduates will go overseas and SUSTech is the “preparatory university for overseas studies”. I don’t think so.

Each year, SUSTech will enroll 1,000 students. It is impossible to have all of them staying in China after graduation. Besides, this is not the correct target of development because some students are apt to become scholars while others are born entrepreneurs. 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: What’s the plan of SUSTech if it doesn’t intend to become “preparatory university for overseas studies”?

Chen Shiyi: The first-batch graduates of SUSTech went overseas for some historical reasons. Today, SUSTech grants degrees recognized by the Ministry of Education. It is also the wholly-funded public university in Shenzhen. As a result, it should have more extensive talent cultivation. I believe universities should cultivate diverse elites for the society. We support the students who wish to go overseas for further studies. We also support those who intend to study for postgraduate degree in China or in SUSTech. If they wish to work or start business for the building of socialism in other cities beyond Shenzhen, we also offer our support. 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: Many teachers in SUSTech actually come back to China from overseas countries?

Chen Shiyi: More than 95% of them are high-level talents who come back from other countries. 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: Are there any talents attracted out of SUSTech by apartments?

Chen Shiyi: As far as I know, professors are giving more attention to their housing conditions. Some professors say their life income is not sufficient to buy an apartment. And if some other university offers an apartment, it will be very attractive. This is an issue worth studying. To secure sustainable development in Shenzhen, the issue of talents is essential. Over the past 3 decades and more in reform and opening-up, Shenzhen mainly attracts talents from beyond the city. But today the competition is becoming more fierce because more people are realizing the importance of talents. So the city should cultivate its own talents while maintaining the excellent talents in Shenzhen. I believe future development in Shenzhen should rely on SUSTech to cultivate talents, develop technologies and support industrial upgrading and economic growth. 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: How to address this problem?

Chen Shiyi: We should have special policies for special talents, just like Beijing and Zhejiang having favorable policies for Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University. We gave some policies for talent introduction, such as the Peacock Plan. But the fund support for talents has been offset by the high price of properties in Shenzhen. In the past, the policies offered by us were favorable. But as the property price rises, these policies were offset. Recently, Shenzhen is considering the property-price policy. I also hope the city can provide special policies for talent attraction because this means good news for us. I hope our professors can settle down in Shenzhen, just like the professors in top universities in US.

Respond to joint enrollment of postgraduates

Postgraduate enrollment is available 5 years after the university is established 

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: In what form did SUSTech make joint enrollment together with Chinese and overseas universities last year?
Chen Shiyi: According to the current academic degree regulations, universities can enroll postgraduates 5 years after its establishment and enroll doctoral candidates 10 years after establishment. These regulations, of course, should be followed. However, the regulations were made 35 years ago and were revised 10 years ago. It should be revised considerably while considering the development in China. In 10 years’ time, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology became a good very university. And some American universities, in less than 10 years upon establishment, also became good universities. And these achievements are attributed to its policy of academic policies. Before this problem is solved, we will make joint enrollment with some universities. My gratitude goes to Peking University and HIT for supporting us, with which we will make joint enrollment since this year. I feel they are giving support to Shenzhen at the same time. I also wish to thank Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University, University of Macau, National University of Singapore, Temple University and other overseas friendly universities, which will enroll doctoral candidates together with SUSTech.

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: So it is a makeshift policy?

Chen Shiyi: We view this problem from a positive perspective. At present, the Ministry of Education is giving great emphasis on it and I believe the problem will be solved in the end. Besides, I often tell my team that we should have the thinking that bad things will become good things. Now we cannot enroll students directly and have to take the joint enrollment form. It means we can use the advantages of multiple disciplines and talents in various universities. In this way, we can enroll and cultivate better students. By working with top professors in the world, our young professors will grow faster. Of course, we hope the reforms can be implemented as soon as possible.  

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: When will SUSTech enroll postgraduates and doctoral candidates?

Chen Shiyi: I hope we can have special policies in 1 or 2 years, or the degree regulations can be revised. I am working on proposals in this aspect. We look forward to the reforms in the future.

Nanfang Metropolis Daily: We have noticed that both Peking University and Tsinghua University will establish undergraduate campus in Shenzhen. Do you feel pressure?

Chen Shiyi: Shenzhen should have the best higher education. As the President of SUSTech, I welcome the good universities to Shenzhen such as Peking University, Tsinghua University and Sun Yat-sen University. Their presence will promote SUSTech and also provide the opportunities of learning from them. We feel it an honor to compete and work together with these excellent universities to cultivate best students. But I also hope Shenzhen can have short-term, mid-term and long-term arrangements and better layout of education.