As Tsinghua University enters the final week of its 110th anniversary celebration on April 25, the University’s Global Forum of University Presidents 2021 (GFUP 2021) will convene online and offline from 19th to 24th of April 2021 to explore emerging aspirations for global higher education; and support greater levels of collaboration.

In the forum that will bring together leaders of more than 110 universities, sessions are designed in the following themes.

GFUP Session One "University as a Cultural Space: Looking Back into the Future " proposes dual approaches to explore the relationship between the university and culture in time-space: the creative fusion, as well as creative tension, of art and science, of human and nonhuman, and of known and unknown.

GFUP Session Two "Global Carbon Neutrality: Universities Responsibility and Action" focuses on the university mission to address climate change and work towards the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will explore the responsibilities and actions of higher education in scientific research, talent cultivation, campus actions, student activities, public engagement, etc., on the pathway to a carbon-neutral world.

GFUP Session Three "Rethinking the Future and New Mission of Online Education" focuses on exploring and rethinking the future and new mission of online education; to harness the awesome potential of online education; and to enable the light of truth, wisdom, and morality to guide our collective path.

GFUP Session Four "Global University Leadership" builds on a Tsinghua University project which showcases global university presidents and their work and contributions. It engages a select group of presidents to share how they came to be presidents, focusing on their backgrounds, development, experiences, and key steps taken. GFUP Session Four invites participants to explore how presidents deliver effective leadership and tackle broader transformations as individuals and through executive teams. Participants will reflect on the future challenges of university presidents, both for higher education and in terms of broader social contributions. 

The Plenary Session " Innovate for the Future: Vision and New Mission of Universities" will feature panel discussions and the release of GFUP Tsinghua Consensus, designed to encapsulate the Forum's outcomes and guide the vision and new mission of universities.  It will be held on 24 April, the final day of the Forum. The Plenary Session will be broadcast live on our social media platforms.

Please visit the anniversary website or follow us on social media accounts for updates on GFUP 2021.

Source: Office of International Affairs
Editors: Liu Shutian, Sangeet Sangroula, Guo Lili