Southeast University (SEU) is one of the national key universities administered directly under the Central Government and the Ministry of Education of China. It is also one of the universities of Project 211 and Program 985 that is financed by the Central Government to build as a world-class university. SEU is on the list of level A universities of “first-rate universities”. Located in the ancient capital city of Nanjing, Southeast University has campuses such as Sipailou,Jiulonghu and Dingjiaqiao, covering a total area of 392 hectares.
Southeast University is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in China. It has the accolades of “a sacred place of learning” and “the top university in the southeast part of China”. Its origin can be traced back to 1902, when it was founded as Sanjiang Normal College. In 1921, on the initiative of renowned educator Mr. Guo Bingwen, National Southeast University was founded based on Nanjing Higher Normal School, and became one of the two national comprehensive universities around the country. Mr. Guo Bingwen took up the post of the first president of the university. He invited dozens of prominent scholars and experts to the university. Hence it is acknowledged that “Peking University is renowned for its literature, history and philosophy disciplines, and Southeast University is famous for its science disciplines”. In 1928, the university changed its name into National Central University. It had 7 schools including science, engineering, medicine, agriculture, literature, law, and education. The number and scale of disciplines were on the first level around the country. In 1952, disciplines such as literature and science emigrated out, and were successively incorporated into relevant disciplines of Fudan University, Chiao Tung University, Zhejiang University, and University of Nanking etc.. The original engineering school of National Central University, as the principal part of the university, was established as Nanjing Institute of Technology on the original site of National Central University.In May 1988, the university was renamed Southeast University. The anniversary is on June 6. In April 2000, Nanjing Railway Medical College, Nanjing College of Communications and Nanjing Geological School were incorporated into the university, and the new Southeast University was established.
Southeast Universityhas been constantly exploringmethods in school management and talent nurturing. It encourages the philosophy of Liangjiang Normal School’s “experience hardness, achieve success”, the spirit of Nanjing Higher Normal School’s “nation, democracy, science”, the school motto of National Southeast University’s “striving for perfection”, the academic atmosphere of National Central University’s “sincerity with aspiration”, and the school ethos of Nanjing Institute of Technology’s “rigor, truthfulness, unity and diligence”. Over a hundred years SEU has been aiming at developing science and revitalizing the Chinese nation. Its spirit of self-improving and pursuing for excellence stimulates everyone in SEU to make brilliant achievements.
Through the development of the past 115 years, Southeast University has become a comprehensive and research-oriented university featuring the coordinated development of such multi-disciplines as philosophy, economics, law, education, literature, science, engineering, medicine, management, art, etc., with engineering as its focus. At present, it has an enrollment of 31,470 full-time students, including 15,614 postgraduate students. The university boasts a high-level faculty of 2,832 full-time teachers, including over 2,314 teachers with doctorate, which is 80% of the total number of teachers, 1935 full or associate professors, 925 doctoral supervisors, 2,151 supervisors for masters, 12 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academy of Engineering, 1 academician of the Academy of Europe, 13 members of the discipline review group of the State Council, 16 experts of the national “Ten Thousands Talents Program”, 45 “Cheung Kong Scholar” Professors, 10 experts of “Young Talents Program of Cheung Kong Scholar”, 3 top teachers of “Ten Thousands Talents Program”, 5 winners of the national awards for top teachers, 43 granted with funds from the National Outstanding Youth Science Foundation, 3 preeminent experts involved in the national high-tech development project known as “Program 863”, 1 expert in the International Science & Technology Program, 2 experts for national major special projects, 24 selected into the Talents Project initiated by the Ministry of Personnel of China for the development of high-level professionals and technical talents, 2 “National Ten Young Jurisconsults”.
The university now comprises 30 schools or departments with 76 undergraduate disciplines in all. It boasts 30 and 49 disciplines respectively authorized to confer Ph.D. degrees and master’s degrees, 5 national key disciplines (comprising 15 sub-disciplines), 5 national key sub-disciplines, 1 national key (development) discipline, 13 disciplines in the development project for strong disciplines of universities based in Jiangsu Province,17 provincial key disciplines for the thirteenth Five-Year Plan and 30 post-doctoral research stations. It also boasts an array of key scientific research bases, including 3 national key laboratories, 3 national engineering research centers, 2 national research centers for engineering technology,as well as 11 key laboratories and 5 engineering research centers granted by the Ministry of Education, etc..In recent years, Southeast University, with its painstaking effort in discipline development, has achieved plentiful accomplishments. In September 2017, SEU is listed as level A university of “first-calss universities”, and 11 disciplines are selected as “first-class disciplines”, including materials science and engineering, electronic science and technology, information and communication engineering, control science and engineering, computer science and technology, architecture, civil engineering, traffic engineering, biomedical engineering, landscape architecture, and artistic theory. The number of the disciplines selected ranks the 8th. In the fourth discipline assessment organized by China Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Development Center, 5 disciplines of SEU rank A+, including architecture, civil engineering, traffic engineering, biomedical engineering, and artistic theory. The number of disciplines ranking A+ is the 8th. 11 disciplines including engineering science, computer science, material science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, clinical medicine, biochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology, neuroscience and behavioural science, and social sciences rank among the top 1% of global ESI database. Among them the engineering science ranks 32, and the computer science ranks 35. Both of the two disciplines rank the top 1‰.
In the long-term university management practice, Southeast University has been sticking to the philosophy of “distinguishing science, and cultivating talents for the country”. It has been increasing input in teaching and intensifying the reform in education in its effort for the quality-oriented education and students’ development in terms of their spirit of innovation and ability of practice. In terms of undergraduate education, the university, while traditionally emphasizing basic knowledge, practice and quality, has put forward higher standards, i.e., pursuing excellence, going international and highlighting innovative research. Southeast University is one of the first colleges and universities which is carrying out the “education and development plan for outstanding engineers” and the “national innovative experiment plan for undergraduates” under the Ministry of Education; it is among the first pilot colleges and universities for innovation and entrepreneurship education reform, and has been selected as “the national university innovation and entrepreneurship base for education”; it is also among the first pilot colleges and universities for the implementation of the “education and development plan for outstanding doctors” co-initiated by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, as well as one of the pilot schools for the reform of the development mode for top and innovative medical professionals and of the five-year development mode for clinical medical professionals.
A total of 5 disciplines are selected into the state-level comprehensive pilot reform project and 23 are selected as the construction points of national characteristic disciplines; besides, 36 courses are selected into the national course resource sharing construction program, 8 experiment centers are selected among the state-level demonstration centers and construction points for experiment teaching. 3 experiment centers are selected among the state-level virtual simulation centers for experiment teaching. 52 professors are selected into the National Steering Committee for Education and Instruction, among which 5 are selected as chairmen in related disciplines in institution for higher learning of the National Steering Committee for Education and Instruction. 11 teams are awarded as the state-level teaching teams of innovation.12 national trial plots for innovation in the personnel development mode, as well as 12 national education centers for engineering practice. SEU has a large number of practice base both in and outside the university, and holds various after-class scientific and cultural activities. Each year it has over 1500 scientific research training programs for undergraduates, students participate and excel in over 100 discipline competences. In 2017 The 3rd China College Students’ “Internet Plus” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, students from SEU won 1 gold award, 1 silver award, and 2 bronze awards. The gold award project won the third place in the competition. In the 15th “Challenge Cup” competition of national college students extracurricular academic science and technology works, SEU won 2 special awards, 2 first awards and 2 second awards. The university ranks the third in China and the first in Jiangsu Province with a gross score of 420, and won the “Outstanding Cup”. In the National Undergraduate Electronics Design Contest SEU won 9 first awards, 10 second awards. The number of first ranks the first in colleges and universities around the country, and this is the second time for SEU to come to the first in the number of the first awards. Other awards include: the first prize in the 2017 International American Civil Engineering College Students Steel Bridge Competition; the international first prize in 2017 American Mathematical Contest In Modeling; 5 first prizes in 2017 China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling, and the number of the first prizes ranks the 1st among colleges and universities in China; national special award in 2017 China Education Robot Contest; national first prize in the 12th National Competition of Transport Science and Technology for Students, etc.. In 2017 Southeast University was granted by the Ministry of Education as one of the 99 pilot colleges and universities for innovation and entrepreneurship education reform.
In terms of postgraduate education, Southeast University, in its effort to cultivate top-quality innovation-minded talents, has been pushing forward the reform in postgraduate education by continually changing the mode of teaching and optimizing the curriculum system. In recent years, SEU has built a number of students innovation and entrepreneurship clubs which won honors such as “Xiaoping Technology Innovation Team”. Students from those clubs have won various prizes. For example, Xu Dewang is selected as the “Chinese Students Self-improvement Star”, and Sun Jun won the Chinese Teenager Technology Innovation Prize. Respectively 20 and 31 dissertations in total have been awarded or nominated as the “National One-Hundred Outstanding Doctoral Dissertations”.Ever since it launched the “Project of State-funded Overseas Studying to Develop Top Universities” in 2007, the university has sent 1599 postgraduate students abroad in total, 411 of who aim for their Ph.D. degrees, and 1082 are joint-educated doctoral students. At the same time, it has been actively conducting academic exchanges with both domestic and international schools and organizations, and promoting cooperation in joint school running. For example, Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou) co-built with Monash University of Australia, the first of its kind approved by the Ministry of Education, has had an enrollment of 1006 students, and a graduation of 458 students; the collaboration with University of Rennes 1 of France has blazed a trail for the cooperation in postgraduate development and scientific research.
Southeast University, taking as its own duty rejuvenating the country through science and education, has been conducting an array of basic research, basic research for application and research on high technology of strategic significance in line with the needs of national economic and social development; thus it has become a major base for high and new technology research with considerable social influence both at home and abroad. From 2011 to 2017, SEU has won 22 national prizes for science and technology, including the first prize of National Invention Award in 2011, and the national first prize for Science and Technology Advancementin 2014. Its research fund reached RMB 2310 million in 2017. The applications for invention patents total 2556, of which 1545 are licensed; besides, 34 PCT patents are applied for. It has 2689 SCI papers, which ranks 19th nationwide, and 2644 EI papers, ranking 12th nationwide. In the past five years, SEU has won 16 Outstanding Achievement Awards for Humanistic and Social Science, including one first prize, and 50 Outstanding Achievement Awards for Philosophy and Social Science, including 8 first prize. It is granted with 135 national funds of social science, including 4 funds for major projects, and 12 for key projects.
SEU has made remarkable achievements in serving local economic construction. According to the statistical result made by Jiangsu province concerning the college research effort of science and technology serving for local development, SEU ranks the first in most of the indicators among the following seven, namely, science projects and teams, science funding, science base, four kinds of technical funding, transformation of scientific and technological achievements and project identification, patent condition and scientific awards. SEU Science Park aims to provide best service and support for the incubation of sci-tech enterprises and high-tech products, and cultivation of innovators and pioneers. It covers 200 thousand square meters, and has 300 enterprises as well as 1000 enterprises which have been successfully incubated, including high-tech enterprises like Wiscom Company and Tuniu Tourism Company.
Southeast University is one of the internationally influential universities in China. Since the reform and opening-up, Southeast University has been taking an active part in international communication. Up to now, it has signed agreements for friendly cooperation with more than 153 universities and research institutes, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California, Irvine, University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham, Queen's University Belfast, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Technical University of Munich, The University of Melbourne, Monash University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, etc.. Southeast University launched “UK-China University Consortium on Engineering Education and Research” which is the first university consortium features engineering education and research jointly built by UK and China. Universities from UK include Queen's University Belfast, University of Birmingham, Cardiff University, University College London, University of Nottingham, and The University of Warwick. There are 1947 international studentsstudying in SEU, including 1492 degree students, which is 76.6% of the total number of international students, and 713 international postgraduate students, which is 47.8% of the number of degree students. The numbers of international degree students and postgraduate students are the largest in Jiangsu province. The university has also established 3 Confucius Institutes in America and The Republic of Belarus.
In the summer of 2006, the headquarter was moved to Jiulonghu Campus, opening a new chapter in the history of SEU. Jiulonghu campus, located in the south part of Jiangning Development Zone, covers an area of 3752.35 mu. The architectural planning of the campus is based on the history and culture of SEU, combing the public central teaching cluster with the professional teaching clusters, thus formating a campus of forest and vitality, mingling the oriental and occidental styles. The Jiulonghu campus has a floorage of 789.7 thousand square meters, with architectures including teaching area, scientific research and experimental area, administrative area, undergraduate living quarter, graduate living quarter, faculty living quarter, logistics and security area, etc.. The university library covers an area of 66.9 thousand square meters, with a possession of 4249.9 thousand of all kinds of books and materials.
In the new century, SEU will insist its school motto of “striving for perfection”, and the academic atmosphere of “sincerity with aspiration”, building a transparent, devoted, and professional teaching atmosphere, forming a passionate and aspirant studying atmosphere. The university will deepen its comprehensive reform while complete its modern university system, strengthen inner construction, reinforce innovation and entrepreneurship education, improve talents education quality and technology innovation level, enhance the ability for social service and cultural inheritance and innovation. According to the layout of “strong engineering discipline, advanced science discipline, quality arts discipline, anddistinctive medicine discipline” and construction opinion of “multi-disciplinary integration, science, engineering, arts and medicine comprehension, industry, study and research combination, international cooperation”, SEU will accelerate discipline construction, focus on key elements, and support different parts respectively. It will build a series of world first-class disciplines and national leading disciplines, striving for constructing a world top university with Chinese characteristics and SEU features. SEU is headed for a university with overall strength reaching world first-class around 2020, and a world first-class university around 2030. the university aims to attain the leading position among word class universities in the middle of this century.
(The data is as of January 2018)