The "Yenching Academy" remarked by Wang Enge, president of PKU, as the "most ambitious academic initiative PKU has launched since the turn of the new century," is an innovative research center that aims to cultivate world leaders who will make a difference in the world. Its mission is to provide an opportunity for global students to imbibe Chinese and international perspectives and thus cultivate global progress and mutual understanding.
With this vision in mind, it offers a master program of China Studies (in English). It is a program deeply rooted in the rich history of PKU. Thus it takes advantage of the quality resources in academic areas of humanities and social sciences.
This program aims to bring together the best scholars and elite students from around the world, to understand China in an international context, to create a world-class research center of "China Studies." The faculty consists of academic stars—20 internationally reputed academic luminaries, 30 most renowned and influential PKU scholars and 20 visiting senior fellows with worldwide recognition. With a diversity of academic backgrounds, research expertise and experience, they come from a wide range of countries and are devoted to researching and teaching.
The courses of this program are mainly categorized into six fields—"Philosophy and Religion," "History and Archeology," "Literature and Culture," "Economics and Management," "Law and Society," and "Public Policy and International Relations." It creates an opportunity to understand Chinese society, culture on a fuller scale and thus can foster future leaders who know every field about China and can contribute to the world.
Beyond academic resources, the Yenching Academy is also equipped with a dedicated Career Development and Alumni Service Office. This will guide scholars in career planning, training and placement through out the one-year program at Yenching. This will also help scholars integrate into the network of PKU alumni around the globe.
The first class of 100 Yenching Scholars will begin in the September of 2015. Graduates from all world-class universities can apply for this program. Thus this program will reflect the richness of culture, ethnicity and academy. The expected enrollment is 100 students, with one third from China and two thirds from overseas. PKU will offer full tuition scholarship, accommodation in the residential college, and a stipend to cover living expense. Eligible students are those who are highly academically, socially and innovatively competitive.
The launch ceremony of the Yenching Academy took place at Yingjie Overseas Exchange Center on May 5. Representatives from forty-five colleges all over the world, such as Stanford, the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics and Political Science, National University of Singapore, Fudan University, attended this ceremony.
During the ceremony, PKU Executive Vice President Liu Wei introduced the Academy to all the attendees. Vice President Li Yansong hosted a forum centered on the new methods, new dimension and new mode for fostering innovative talents. Present delegates expressed their opinions regarding these topics.
Presidents of the University of California at San Babara and Nankai University delivered speeches and expressed their expectation for the Academy.
Written By: Chen Runxi
Edited by: Arthars
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
