President Chen Shyi

President Chen Shiyi is interviewed by SUSTC News Agency

Photographed by Zhu Hui

(By Wei Li) In the beginning of 2015, to be specific, on January 1 in lunar calendar of the Year of Goat, the newly-appointed SUSTC President Chen Shiyi paid respect to the late educator Cai Yuanpei in Peking University. After leaving flowers in front of the statue of Cai, he took a photo there. By making the visit, President Chen Shiyi hoped to get power and convictions out of the Peking University’s spirit of free academic development, all-inclusive competence and boldness to take the pioneering efforts. After that, he said farewell to Peking University where he had worked for 10 years and took his position in SUSTC. “On January 2 in the lunar calendar, I moved everything to SUSTC and kicked off my trip to realize my dream of education.”
On December 20 when SUSTC was celebrating its 5th anniversary, Chen Shiyi had been working as SUSTC President for 11 months. What changes will the 2nd President of SUSTC, who came after Zhu Qingshi, bring to SUSTC? With this question in mind, the journalist walked into the SUSTC President Office.

The most important decision
Graduated from Tiantai Middle School in Zhejiang Province, Chen Shiyi received his further education in Zhejiang University and Peking University. In 1987, he left Peking University for USA and worked or taught in Los Alamos National Laboratory, IBM and Johns Hopkins University. 18 years later, he returned to Peking University to work as the Dean of Institute of Innovation, Graduate School and Vice President of Peking University. After working in Peking University for 10 years, he felt quite touched when leaving it in the beginning of 2015. “A lot of things went into my mind when standing in front of the statue of Cai Yuanpei. Before this, I had never thought of leaving Peking University. But I have to do it this time”, said President Chen, “SUSTC is the pilot test field of higher education reform. It is the place to realize my China dream and education dream. For me, the mission is significant. This is the most important decision in my life.” 
According to him, SUSTC has the gene to become the world leading university, which has the high starting point, the research emphasis, pursuit of excellence, academic freedom and spirit of scholar self-discipline… The Science magazine in USA even placed the team start of SUSTC in the list of News That Influenced the World for 2011. Chen Shiyi made the decision to take his position in SUSTC because he wants to build the world-class university with the Chinese characteristics and leading position in the world so that Chinese students can receive the best higher education even in China. However, Chen also faces great challenges and takes high pressure. But he said, “I don’t like the predicted mediocre life. The success with uncertainties make life more meaningful. ”

The same dream
To build the world’s first-class university, SUSTC has to become the leading university in China. To realize this goal, Chen Shiyi said, he has nothing in his mind but thinking about how to have the premium talents in the world and how to attract most talented people in the world to teach in SUSTC. In light of this, he tries to reach talents in all parts of the world. Just before this interview, a young and competent professor in Germany accepted the invitation from SUSTC, saying, “SUSTC is the university where I most want to work”. President Chen was very excited. He said, “Such good things happen occasionally.” He told the journalist, “I feel very successful after working in SUSTC for 11 months. Today, SUSTC has established the talent teams mainly consisting of 1,000 Talents and 1,000 Young Talents”. SUSTC faculty has the largest proportion of 1,000 Talents among all Chinese universities. At present, there are 22 full-time SUSTC faculty members in 1,000 Talents and over 40 in 1,000 Young Talents. Recently, a few more people in the 1,000 Talents Program signed agreement with SUSTC, meaning they all recognize the education philosophy of SUSTC and share our China dream and education dream.”

Chen Shiyi described the bright future of SUSTC, saying in 2015 4 new departments were established, e.g., Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, Department of Marine Science and Engineering, Department of Machinery and Energy Engineering, and Department of Computer Science and Engineering. It means new students will have more than 20 major choices in 2016. In the near future, SUSTC will have over 20 departments and sections and 23 inter-disciplinary research centers. According to the plan, in the future 10 years, SUSTC will build a high-quality faculty team that has 500 members led by world-class talents, featuring great morality, rational structure, outperforming teaching and research competency, dynamics and international competitiveness. Each year 1,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduates will be recruited, thus having 8,000 students on campus at the same time. 
With great confidence, Chen Shiyi said, “SUSTC is a university with great vitality and potential. In terms of discipline building, SUSTC always aims to become the leading university in the world and first-class university in China. Out target is to build a research, innovative and entrepreneurial university, and a Stanford University in China. I am confident that we can finally realize this goal.”

4 attributes of students
“I believe we should focus on quality when employing professors. It is the same with student enrollment”. Chen Shiyi thinks students with the following attributes are most suitable for SUSTC. First, those who have wonderful basic performance and who love study and are good at study. In the university, the most important thing is not to learn one or two courses, but to cultivate the ability to make lifelong study. Second, the students should have innovative spirit. According to Chen Shiyi, the university should not cultivate students in the same model. Instead, each student should have his or her own personality and the bravery to make innovations and creativity. Third, the students should have the independent spirit and the ability to think. For the young people, university life is the start of their independent life. Chen Shiyi hopes the students can learn how to live and think independently, thus establishing the spirit of independence. At the same time, university is the stage in which the students improve their personality, learn knowledge and purse truth. The young people should have the critical thinking. Fourth, they should be persistent. SUSTC students will have heavy academic tasks. Chen hopes the students can be persistent in front of difficulties. 
According to Chen Shiyi, the overseas students make their own decisions about which university to go to because the students have independence. And such students are most wanted by SUSTC. When selecting the university, sometimes parents and students would have different opinions. And whether the students can communicate very well with their parents can also prove their comprehensive performance. “I always believe for the young people, walking independently can ensure they go further and higher.”

Cultivate diverse talents
The first batch of undergraduate/graduates from SUSTC include 29 students, 23 of whom are enrolled by Yale University, California Institute of Technology, Oxford University and Cambridge University. Such a high proportion of overseas enrollment brings concern that SUSTC has become the Preparatory School for famous overseas universities. Chen Shiyi responded, SUSTC students getting enrolled by overseas universities proves that their quality is being recognized though it does not necessarily prove the education level of SUSTC. SUSTC is proud that its students receive further education in world leading universities and would respect their choice. And this is the phenomenon that happens in the process of development. He believes the future batches of undergraduates/graduates would make diverse choices. 
Chen Shiyi said, for high school graduates, each student has his or own personality, thus having diverse choices. And universities also make diverse cultivation of students. As a matter of fact, there is no best university, only the most suitable and favored university. SUSTC is dedicated to becoming the world-class university, and the competitive new university like Stanford University. “Stanford University is great. I once asked the President of Stanford about the secret to Stanford success. He answered without hesitation: first, academic freedom; second, entrepreneurship. SUSTC will not only make researches with Nobel Prize level, but also cultivate elites for the society that have broad vision and make great contributions to the economy and society”, he said, “We also hope SUSTC students can be active in all industries and make determinations to become the world-class scholars, the entrepreneurs such as Ma Huateng and Ma Yun, or work in enterprises.”
Talking about Shanghai, President Chen said, “I have many colleagues, classmates and friends in Shanghai, who are really excellent. They have wonderful life experience. They not only live in Shanghai, but also in the whole world. Shanghai belongs to the world and Shanghai talents also belong to the world. The young people should have their own dream and ambition, the independent judgment, the ability to see what others cannot see, and the bravery to stay persistent. I hope students coming from Shanghai can have great ambitions and walk out of Shanghai to SUSTC so as to gain different campus experience and different future. Probably we will have to walk for some time on this road. Hope students coming from Shanghai will work and grow together with us.”

Original text: http://bk.shedunews.com/shzxsb/html/2015-12/25/content_35347.htm

(Unless specified, all photos are provided by SUSTC)