On February 25, 2016, Peking University announced the appointment of Yuan Ming as the new Dean of Yenching Academy. President Lin Jianhua of Peking University, leadership from the University’s Human Resources department and the Office of the President, Associate Deans and Director of Yenching Academy, as well as staff members and student representatives attended the announcement ceremony.
Professor Yuan Ming currently serves as the Associate Dean of Peking University’s Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Director of its Center for American Studies, and Professor of its School of International Studies.
Since Yenching Academy’s establishment, Professor Yuan Ming has shown great interest and support for the Academy and all Yenching scholars. At the opening ceremony of Yenching Academy, she pointed out that “the significance of Yenching Academy is that it is the beginning of a new kind of exploration of intercultural and inter-disciplinary education.” Professor Yuan also serves as a faculty advisor at the Academy, and has dedicated significant time, effort and resources to helping this group of young scholars from around the world in their academic and cultural experiences at Peking University.
President Lin Jianhua remarked that the Dean of Yenching Academy should be a great educator, who loves students and understands the heart of education well, and at the same time the Dean should have broad international perspective, with the global influence. In addition to her outstanding academic achievement and rich experiences in global affairs, Prof. Yuan also has a deep affection for her students, and a true dedication and passion for education. She will now be tasked with leading the Yenching Academy to explore new opportunities in the field of higher education and cross-cultural understanding.
Several student representatives, Cody Abbey, Danila Simakhodskiy, and Tian Meng also expressed sincere welcome and support for Prof. Yuan as the new dean of the Academy on behalf of all Yenching Scholars. They said in their past conversations with Prof. Yuan, she has shown great kindness, patience, and attentiveness to their individual needs. Cody Abbey said, “as Yenching Scholars, we welcome Professor Yuan Ming to join us in our journey of studying China and engaging in intercultural exchange”.
Yuan Ming received her Bachelor’s degree in Western Language and Literature from Peking University in 1968, and Master of Laws in International Laws from Peking University in 1982. She started working at the University afterward. Yuan also spent time at the University of California, Berkeley as a visiting scholar from 1983 to 1985, and at the St. Antony’s College in Oxford University as a senior associate member from 1989 to 1990. Since 1993, she was invited to work as a Senior Research Scholar at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C..In October 2015 she was appointed as an Honorary Professor by Hong Kong University.
Professor Yuan teaches the History of International Relations and Western Classics of International relations at Peking University. Her publications include: A History of International Relations (1648-1989);Cross-Century Challenges: International Relations Studies in China, and many other books and frequently-cited academic papers in influential international and domestic academic journals. Prof. Yuan is also the co-editor of Sino-American Relations (1945-1955) with Harry Harding, and The Golden Age of U.S.-China-Japan Relations (1972-1989) with Ezra Vogel and Tanaka Akihiko.
Since 1985, Professor Yuan has organized a series of globally significant academic symposia on Sino-American relations and international relations in China, and has wide links in Asia, North America, Europe and Oceania. She travels often and is also a frequent speaker at various internationally influential conferences and forums, including the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Club of Rome, and the Trilateral Commission, etc.
Professor Yuan was a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference from 1998 to 2012, and was also a member of its Foreign Relations Committee. She sits on the boards of a number of institutions in China, and is an active contributor to cultural and international exchange between China and the rest of the world. She was a trustee of the Asia Society in New York from1998 to 2004. She joined the International Advisory Board of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in 2004, and the Board of the United Nations Foundation in 2007. At the invitation of the Hong Kong SAR government, Professor Yuan served as a member of its University Grant Committee from 2008 to 2014. Since 2014, she has been a member of the Duke-Kunshan University International Advisory Group.
Professor Yuan takes over the Yenching Academy Deanship from Professor Liu Wei, who became the President of Renmin University of China in November, 2015. Yenching Academy is honored to welcome Prof. Yuan as its second Dean.
