On the morning of January 28, Professor Zhang Liqun, President of Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU) and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, led a delegation to the XJTU-POLIMI Joint School (hereinafter referred to as "Joint School") for a research visit and symposium. The meeting was attended by members of the Joint School’s Party Committee and administrative leadership team, as well as faculty representatives. The symposium was chaired by Professor Yang Shuming, Secretary of the School’s Party Branch and Executive Dean.
During the meeting, Yang Shuming delivered a comprehensive report covering the School’s Party development, talent cultivation, and international cooperation. He stated that the Joint School, adhering to the university’s mission of "rooted in the West, serving the nation, and striving for world-class excellence," leverages the complementary strengths of XJTU and Politecnico di Milano. It has pioneered an innovative education model characterized by Sino-foreign collaboration, interdisciplinary integration, and industry-education fusion. With distinctive features in talent cultivation and remarkable educational outcomes, the School will continue to uphold high standards and its commitment to internationalization. It will seize the opportunities presented by Sino-foreign cooperative education in the new era, deepen the advancement of its various initiatives, and strive to reach new heights. In doing so, it aims to contribute solidly to the university’s "Double First-Class" initiative and to the high-level opening up of education.
Faculty and administrative representatives engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including deepening the internationalization of education, enhancing intra-university coordination, optimizing talent cultivation models, strengthening interdisciplinary innovation capabilities, and expanding international practice platforms. Responsible heads from relevant university departments responded on-site to the School’s development needs, addressing proposals, supporting policies, and resource assurance mechanisms. All attendees expressed firm commitment to implementing the university’s decisions and strategies, building consensus, and strengthening collaboration to provide robust support for the high-quality development of the Joint School.
President Zhang Liqun affirmed the achievements of the Joint School. He noted that the School serves as a vital gateway for the university’s internationalization efforts. Despite its recent establishment, it has demonstrated strong vitality and achieved growth in both scale and quality. He emphasized that this year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The School should closely align with the university’s "Double First-Class" construction and internationalization strategy, guided by the integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent development. Systematic efforts should be made to deepen substantive cooperation with Politecnico di Milano in faculty exchange, talent cultivation, and scientific research. With the core goal of cultivating outstanding talents with international vision, commitment to China, and leadership capabilities in future industries, the School must resolutely advance toward becoming a new benchmark of international education with "Chinese characteristics and world-class standards." This will contribute to the nation’s goal of building a globally influential education hub and demonstrate XJTU’s commitment and strength.
Zhang Liqun stressed that the development of the Joint School should proceed from a holistic perspective on expanding international cooperation. It is essential to strengthen top-level design and regular communication mechanisms with the partner university, and to substantially enhance research collaboration. Relevant university departments should work in close coordination to formulate special support policies as soon as possible, providing institutional guarantees for deepening cooperation. Systematic efforts in admissions promotion should be advanced, including competitive measures such as dedicated scholarships and increased resource investment. International experts from the partner institution should be invited to participate in the entire admissions process to enhance global appeal. In alignment with industrial needs and cutting-edge research, the integrated advancement of education, technology, and talent cultivation should be upheld, supporting international talent training and frontier scientific innovation through high-level discipline development. Meanwhile, a professional management team should be built and strengthened to ensure the stable and sustainable growth of the School, thereby achieving enduring high-level international education.
Prior to the symposium, President Zhang Liqun conducted an on-site inspection of the Joint School’s facilities.
Representatives from the following university units participated in the visit and symposium: Office of the CPC XJTU Committee and the President's Office, Academic Affairs Office, Academic Affairs Office, Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Human Resources,Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, State-owned Assets Management Department, Department of Lab and Assets Management, Office of Discipline Planning and Construction, Campus Planning and Basic Construction Management Center, Admissions Office, Practice Teaching Center, and School of International Education.
