Chinese, US, Australian, European Unis Sign Hefei Statement

The Consortium of China 9 has signed the Hefei Statement with US, Australian and European counterparts, pledging to promote the foundational value of higher education.

AsianScientist (Nov. 13, 2013) – The Consortium of China 9 (C9) has signed the Hefei statement with the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Group of Eight Australia (Go8) and the League of European Research Universities (LERU), pledging to promote the foundational value of higher education.

C9 is an organization formed by nine Chinese universities in 2009, including top higher education institutions in mainland China such as the well-known Peking, Tsinghua and Fudan Universities and the University of Science and Technology of China.

The international consortium pledged to protect the ten characteristics of contemporary research universities, including collaboration in education, student exchanges, faculty exchanges and research collaboration.

According to the Hefei Statement:

“Universities have increased in number and size. Elite education catering to a small, select proportion of the population has evolved to offering education for an increasingly large and more diverse cohort.”

But the four signatory groups expressed their concern about the rising cost of education and other pressures, and stated that changes in national priorities may put research universities in danger of losing what makes them unique.

Hou Jianguo, president of the University of Science and Technology of China, said universities must take new social responsibilities by promoting innovation, an international outlook, a strong sense of responsibility, and the sustainable economic development of China.

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Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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