YANG Shanlin, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of Hefei University of Technology, and ZHU Hehua, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Professor of Tongji University, were invited to give keynote speeches. JIANG Ping, President of Shanghai Law Society and former Vice Mayor of Shanghai, ZHOU Zhen, former Executive Vice President of Tongji University and former Dean of School of Economics and Management, LU Fangzhou, Secretary of Jiading District Party Committee, Shanghai, SUN Jianping, President of Shanghai Modern Service Industry Association, LYU Peiming, Executive Vice President of Tongji University, LEI Xinghui, former Vice President of Tongji University attended the event.

In his speech, LYU Peiming said that over the past forty years, SEM has cultivated a large number of innovative talents with global vision. In response to the changes of the times, it is hoped that the school will open up new fields and new paths, continue to serve the country’s major strategic needs; plough into the construction of the discipline system and continue to promote the innovation of economic and management theories; and focus on cross-border integration and comprehensively promote the transformation and upgrading of disciplines.

Academician YANG Shanlin, in his report entitled “Artificial Intelligence Empowers Higher Education”, said that in order to realize AI-enabled education innovation with high quality, it is necessary to have a scientist’s mindset, an entrepreneur’s mindset, an educator’s mindset, and a politician’s mindset at the same time.

Academician ZHU Hehua, in his report entitled “Theoretical System and Application of Intelligent Engineering System”, put forward the theoretical framework of “intelligent engineering system” and introduced the team’s application cases in intelligent tunnels and intelligent urban transport. He said that the intelligent engineering system has the qualities of “resilience, intelligence, green and humanism” and plays an important role in cultivating new quality productivity and promoting high-quality development.

On this occasion, the students of SEM presented flowers to the representatives of the former directors and professors of the school to express their deep gratitude.

SHI Qian, Party Secretary of Tongji SEM, said that in the future, the school will accelerate the cultivation of top-class innovative talents, promote “digital intelligence, green development and integration”, continue to follow the multi-dimensional development path of integration of disciplines and integration of industry and education, strengthen globalization layout, and strive to make more new breakthroughs.

Dean XIE En of Tongji SEM introduced the history and development of the school. He said that the school will take more initiatives to act and continue to provide intellectual support to serve the national strategy and lead the development of industries.

At the event, representatives of 10-member institutions jointly launched the “E9+ Management Innovation and Development Alliance”. The alliance will focus on exploring new forms of management education, promoting deep integration of management and technology disciplines, and expanding management education and academic research overseas.

The 10 alliance members are:

School of Management, Beijing Institute of Technology

Department of Management and Economics, Tianjin University

School of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology

School of Economics and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology

School of Economics and Management, Tongji University

School of Economics and Management, Southeast University

School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology

School of Business Administration, South China University of Technology

School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University

School of Management, Northwestern Polytechnical University.

On the same day, Tongji SEM also held a seminar on the innovative development of disciplines, an extended meeting of the School’s Alumni Council and an Alumni Homecoming Tour.

On December 6th, the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University (hereinafter referred to as “SEM”) successfully held the 16th International Advisory Committee Meeting. Chinese and foreign members were briefed with the achievements of the school over the past 40 years since its establishment, and provided inputs and recommendations for the future development for SEM on the theme of “How to Promote Innovative Development in Economic and Management Disciplines through ‘Integration in Three Dimensions'”. Prof. FANG Shou’en, Chairman of the University Council, Tongji University, Prof. LYU Peiming, Executive Vice President of Tongji University, and Prof. LEI Xinghui, Former Vice President of Tongji University, attended the meeting. Prof. HUO Jiazhen, Director of the International Advisory Committee and Former Dean of SEM, presided over the meeting. Prof. SHI Qian, Chairman of the School Council and members of the management team of SEM attended the meeting. Prof. XIE En, Dean of SEM, introduced the key works of SEM achieved in 2024.

Prof. WU Qidi, Former Vice Minister of Education and Former President of Tongji University, Prof. YU Lijuan, Vice President of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Shanghai Committee, Prof. ZHOU Zhen, Former Executive President of Tongji University and Former Dean of SEM, Prof. LI Yuan, Former Dean of SEM, Mr. LIU Xinyi, President of Shanghai International Group, Mr. XIE Wei, President of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Mr. SUN Jian, General Manager of Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Co., Ltd., Mr. LIN Bin, Executive Vice President of Siemens Ltd., China and General Manager of Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Greater China, Mr. SHEN Xuejun, Vice President of JD Industries and General Manager of International Business, Mrs. LEE Hiu Hung, Global Chief Human Resource Officer of AESC Group Ltd, Prof. Frank BOURNOIS, Vice President and Dean of China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), Prof. Amir REZA, Dean, Babson Academy & Global Education of Babson College, US, Prof. Clas NEUMANN, SAP Senior Vice President, Head of Global SAP Labs Network, Prof. Kenneth MCPHAIL, Dean, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK, attended the meeting. Mr. Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN, Former Prime Minister of France, and Prof. Jens WÜSTEMANN, President, Mannheim Business School, Germany, sent video speeches on the theme of panel discussion.

Prof. FANG Shou’en stated in the welcome speech that General Secretary Xi Jinping made comprehensive arrangements for further deepening reforms in his important speech at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. In his important speech at the National Education Conference, he put forward the requirements of promoting education development, scientific and technological innovation, talent cultivation, and accelerating the construction of an education powerhouse. Universities should focus on serving major national strategies and regional needs, actively promote the transformation and upgrading of disciplines empowered by artificial intelligence, break down disciplinary barriers, and promote interdisciplinary integration. We should continue to explore innovative practices in various fields such as disciplinary innovation, talent cultivation, scientific research, social services, international cooperation, and digital campuses, and effectively enhance the service capabilities and levels of higher education.

Prof. LYU Peiming stated in his speech that in the process of empowering the development of disciplines with artificial intelligence, three aspects need to be handled well. The first is the overall transformation of management disciplines, how to accurately understand and grasp the connotation and presentation of disciplines, talent cultivation models, and scientific research paradigms; Secondly, how to achieve collaborative development among various disciplines within the school; Thirdly, how can the school deeply collaborate with preponderant disciplines of Tongji University, further expand the fields of cross integration, in order to shape new strengths for the school’s development.

Prof. SHI Qian stated that over the 40 years since its establishment, SEM’s achievement has been realized through the unremitting efforts of several generations, from laying the foundation and improving the level, to entering the mainstream and creating its own characteristics. In the future, SEM will continue to follow the path of multidimensional integration and development through the integration of disciplines and the integration of industry and education, strengthen its international layout, and cultivate new driving forces for high-quality development.

Prof. XIE En introduced the school’s achievements in 2024, including talent cultivation, faculty team development, academic research, international cooperation, social influence, school-enterprise cooperation and co-construction. In response to the challenges faced by the school’s development, he proposed to expand and deepen teaching reform through “integration”, optimize the structure of professional degree enrollment and project settings, innovate the mode of faculty team construction to promote interdisciplinary integration, promote resource integration through overseas pivot construction, strengthen the support capacity for discipline development, and better serve national and regional innovation and development.

Panel Discussion

In May 2024, Tongji university launched “Artificial-Intelligence-Enhanced Initiative Plan  (2024-2027) on Discipline Innovative Development”. During the panel discussion, the committee members expressed their opinions on how to implement the above action plan and create new impetus to the development of traditional disciplines through the “three dimensions” of digital- intelligentization, greenization, and integration, how to comprehensively promote “artificial intelligence+” in talent cultivation, discipline development, scientific research, platform establishment, and other aspects, and how to cultivate top-notch innovative talents.

Mr. Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN stated in the video that global management education is becoming increasingly technological and segmented, requiring universities to break down disciplinary boundaries, integrate different knowledge fields, and attach importance to green and ecological themes, in order to respond to future challenges with diverse thinking and a global perspective.

Prof. Jens WÜSTEMANN expressed his best wishes to SEM in his video speech, hoping that SEM could continue its successful path, stick with the rigorness for academics and stay with relevance of topic chosen, keep the openness to learn from the outside and at the same time to apply their knowledge in industry.

Prof. YU Lijuan stated that the development of leading and key industries in Shanghai has a high demand for talents in areas such as digital transformation and green economy. The school can take substantive measures accordingly by promoting the integration of industry and education, optimizing the curriculum adjustment mechanism, and cultivating relevant scarce talents as soon as possible, in order to contribute to the construction of Shanghai’s “five centers” and the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta.

Prof. WU Qidi stated that in terms of integrating industry and education and enhancing the social influence of the school, we can fully leverage the roles and connections of outstanding alumni from various industries, deeply integrate into industry practice and strengthen the cultivation of talents.

Prof. ZHOU Zhen stated that on the one hand, artificial intelligence should empower the development of management, keeping the discipline of management up to date with changes in the times. On the other hand, management should also be used to promote the healthy development of artificial intelligence, ensuring that technology develops towards goodness. The dual drive of management and technology should be used to cultivate top-notch talents with innovative literacy.

Prof. LI Yuan expressed affirmation on the achievements of SEM made in disciplinary projects and talent development, and emphasized the needs to use innovative spirit to implement the empowerment of artificial intelligence in discipline development. He especially emphasized the combination with application scenarios, allowing the students to learn and experience in practice.

Mr. LIU Xinyi congratulated the school on its achievements over the past 40 years. He suggested improving the innovativeness and practicality of course design, and aligning it more closely with the needs of enterprises. He encouraged students to strengthen practical case studies in their thesis topic selection to enhance the pertinence and effectiveness of research.

Mr. XIE Wei said that the application scenarios of artificial intelligence in various industries are complex and pose enormous challenges. Innovation in university courses must align with this major development trend, enhance students’ interdisciplinary and multi-skill cultivation, and attach importance to “green” areas such as sustainability and climate change in education.

Mr. SUN Jian stated that in the era of artificial intelligence, students should be trained with a forward-looking vision of digitization, to provide them with the ability to master artificial intelligence. Regardless of the major, students should be equipped with AI capabilities, which will become a unique competitive advantage for SEM.

Prof. Amir REZA stated that artificial intelligence is disrupting traditional educational methods, and universities should pay attention to teachers’ ability to master AI technology, train teachers on how to use AI to better enhance teaching and research, and assist students in coping with the future.

Prof. Frank BOURNOIS also emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence for the entire teaching and administrative system. Teachers are crucial for addressing the challenges of the era of artificial intelligence. It is important to pay close attention to the connections between teachers, enterprises, and industries to provide students with more opportunities for practical experience in the industry.

Mr. LIN Bin stated that each industry faces different challenges in digitalization, and the methods, approaches, and paths adopted are also different. In reality, there is a lack of focus on empowering artificial intelligence at the enterprise level, and universities should pay attention on how to implement digital- intelligentization based on specific industry cases and scenarios.

Mr. SHEN Xuejun stated that given the revolutionary impact of artificial intelligence, it is recommended to allocate more course practice to the analysis and practice of complex cases, and use artificial intelligence to assist in personalized teaching for students, giving full play to each person’s characteristics and enabling them to integrate into society faster and have lifelong learning abilities.

Prof. Clas NEUMANN proposed that as Chinese companies expand their international presence and scale up, there is a need for more management talents who are familiar with cross-cultural operations. SEM can work with the industry via its German-Sino Center, to strengthen practical training and cultivate more talents needed for local development.

Mrs. LEE Hiu Hung also agreed that it is a great opportunity that Chinese companies go global, which create a great demand for overseas talents. She suggested that schools take the initiative to deeply understand the talents needs of enterprises and build a dual channel for domestic and international employment for students.

Prof. Kenneth MCPHAIL emphasized in his speech the importance of cultivating students’ entrepreneurial spirit. He suggested promoting educational innovation and reform, strengthening cross integration and interaction with enterprises, creating a good environment, and enabling students to have better practices in the industry.

In addition, Chinese and foreign committee members from industry also mentioned the urgent demand for ESG talents within industry, and hoped to strengthen cooperation and talent sharing with universities.

The management team of SEM, chairs of departments, teacher representatives, heads of administrative departments, student representatives, etc. attended the meeting. Pierre EXPERT, a double degree master’s student from Grenoble School of Management in France, expressed his opinion that close connections with the industry are particularly important for students, as they can understand the operational models and working methods of enterprises, and better apply the knowledge they have learned to business practice.

Established in 2008, the International Advisory Committee Meeting of the School of Economics and Management of Tongji University is an important part of the school’s governance structure. It is composed of domestic and foreign experts with rich experience in education and management practice and important influence in the field of economics and management. So far, 16 meetings have been held. The Advisory Committee provides advice and guidance on major issues related to the long-term development of SEM’s strategic development, personnel training, academic research, etc., and promotes exchanges and cooperation between SEM and domestic and foreign government agencies, well-known enterprises and top business schools.

The “Zhang Peigang Development Economics Award for Outstanding Achievements”, initiated by the Zhang Peigang Development Economics Research Foundation, aims to promote research and dissemination in the field of development economics to the world. The prize is awarded biennially for significant results (including monographs and articles) and researchers in the field of development economics, in the context of the ongoing exploration of theories of how to achieve effective industrialization in China and in other developing countries.

Introduction to the Award-Winning Paper:

Multidimensional Premarital Investments with Imperfect Commitment

Based on the theoretical frontiers of marriage market matching and investment in economics, the paper focuses on the hot social issue of gender ratio imbalance in China’s transition and development, and provides a theoretical framework for analyzing premarital investment under incomplete marital commitment from the perspective of multidimensional investment.

Main Contributions of the Paper:

1. A new theoretical framework for analyzing premarital investment under incomplete marital commitment is constructed, which promotes the latest development of marriage matching and investment theory in economics;
2. The theoretical framework of the thesis fits well with the actual characteristics and laws of China’s marriage market, and provides a new theoretical foundation for understanding and explaining marriage matching and investment in China’s development process;
3. The study reveals the close relationship between the marriage market and investment, which provides an important reference for the stability of the marriage market, the rational allocation of family resources, and the formulation and implementation of fertility decisions in developing countries.

Spotlighting Prestigious Overseas Universities, Broadening International Horizons

As a highlight event, we hosted the study abroad fair this year gathering the representatives from over 30 renowned universities and institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Nearly 400 students participated and being provided with valuable overseas programs, study abroad guides, application tips, etc. It has been a good opportunity for connecting students with prestigious overseas universities.

Deepening Sino-French Cooperation, Celebrating Diplomatic Milestone

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations establishment between China and France, we specially invited ESCP Business School, a valued partner of TONGJI SEM to attend as the guest of honor institute. Professor Francesco RATTALINO, Dean of ESCP, Professor Yannick MEILLER, Vice Dean of ESCP, Mr. QU Chen, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of TONGJI, and Professor XIE En, Dean of SEM, presented the ESCP DAY launch ceremony and delivered speeches. Both sides reviewed the history of partnership over the past 20 years and looked forward to the future cooperation in joint research and talent cultivation. On the occasion of ESCP DAY, Professor MEILLER gave a keynote lecture titled “Machines and Humans – What is Humanity in the Digital Transformation?” centering on the popular topic of artificial intelligence, and jointly discussed with the students the thoughts brought about by the interaction between artificial intelligence and humans.

Boosting Sino-German Integration and Cultural Exchanges

Professor CAI Liming, Vice Director, Sino-German School for Postgraduate Studies (CDHK), and Ms. SHOU Yuexian, Director of Public Relations and Communications Center of TONGJI SEM, attended the Sino-German Cultural Salon and delivered speeches. Chinese and German teachers and students conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as cultural differences and innovation in the education system. The teachers encouraged all students to actively participate in various cultural activities and master cross-cultural communication skills to enhance their international competitiveness.

Grasping Academic Frontiers, Sparking Innovative Minds

The International Month also specially invited Professor Amir REZA, Dean, Babson Academy & Global Education of Babson College in the United States, and Professor Xu Weiyuan from the Business School of University of Sydney to bring frontier lectures on global innovative thinking and artificial intelligence. These lectures not only conveyed the inspiration of the latest research results, but also inspired students’ strong curiosity to explore their innovative abilities as well as their lasting enthusiasm for academic research.

One-month series activities attracted active participation of nearly one thousand students and teachers which greatly enhanced students’ awareness of internationalization and laid a solid foundation for their future contribution in high-level international exchanges. The “International Month” has been newly created by the International Cooperation and Accreditation Office of TONGJI SEM since 2020. It aims to help students fully understand the overseas exchange programs offered by the school and take advantage of the outstanding resources for exchanges and studies at overseas partner institutions. At present, it has become an important way to enhance the international competitiveness of our students and to improve the quality of international talent cultivation at TONGJI SEM.

International cooperation and exchange has always been an important feature and advantage of Tongji SEM. At present, the school has established 30+ double-degree exchange programs and 80+ non-degree exchange programs with over 100 international cooperation institutions and provided more than 360 overseas exchange quotas for students every year.

Link to the article :

https://hbr.org/2024/11/when-gig-work-meets-extreme-weather?ab=HP-hero-featured-image-1

Deputy Dean of SEM, Prof. Wang Hongwei and colleagues from the International Cooperation & Accreditation Office, attended the talk. Prof. Wang warmly welcomed the return visit of the Delegation of Monash Business School. During the talks, the two sides had in-depth discussions and exchanges on a number of topics, including building a Fast Path-Way to Master Degree Programs for talent training that connects undergraduate and master’s degrees, exploring potential cooperation in master’s dual degree programs, and carrying out short-term training programs. The two sides conducted a detailed analysis of the current obstacles and had a full exchange of views on short-term solutions and long-term development strategies. SEM hopes to leverage Monash University’s advantages in cutting-edge fields such as engineering and technology, and medicine, and deepen cooperation and exchanges with each other to jointly promote interdisciplinary talent training and high-level academic research, and make greater contributions to the cultivation of high-quality talents with international vision and innovation capabilities.

This meeting greatly deepened the understanding and recognition of both parties, laid the tone for future cooperation in talent training, and pointed out the direction of development. Our college will take this opportunity to deepen the cooperative ties with Australia’s top universities and inject new vitality and impetus into the development of academic research and education.

Monash University is located in Melbourne, Australia. It is a national public university funded by the government. It is also one of the founding schools of the Group of Eight in Australia, a member of the International University Climate Alliance and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Monash University ranks 37th in the 2025 QS World University Rankings and 54th in the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Prof. XIE En expressed his warmly welcome to the visit and introduced in detail the achievements of the college in discipline construction, faculty, scientific research and international cooperation. During the meeting, both sides had in-depth discussions and exchanges on the establishment of joint talent cultivation and the promotion of mutual visits of teachers and students.

Prof. XIE emphasized the importance of making greater contributions to jointly promote the training of interdisciplinary talents and high-level academic research, and to the cultivation of high-quality talents with an international outlook and innovation ability, by taking advantage of both strengths in computer science, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge fields.

The visit not only enhanced the understanding and friendship between the two institutes, but also pointed out the direction for future cooperation and development. SEM will take this opportunity to further strengthen the cooperation and exchange with the top institutions in the UK, and inject new vitality into the development of academic research and education.

The University of Bristol, founded in 1876, is one of the UK’s top academic institutions, a member of the Red Brick University and Russell Group of Universities, known as the UK’s MIT, ranked 55th in the 2024 QS World University Rankings, and won 5th place in the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) for the Business School. University of Bristol Business School in the FT (Financial Times) global business school ranked 81, which economic professionals in the UK University of Economics and Econometrics QS rankings of the top ten list, in the UK local recognition.

This event is a significant initiative of Tongji University to further enhance its European partnerships on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the all-round strategic partnership between China and Germany. It is also another influential event for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Tongji SEM since the Sino-French Forum held in Paris in September.

Ambassador DENG Hongbo mentioned in the opening remarks that Higher Education collaboration between China and Germany has always been a major highlight in bilateral relations. “Born” in the Chinese and western cultural blending context, Tongji University is an outstanding pioneer in exploring a win-win cooperation model between China and Germany. He stated that the establishment of “Tongji SEM German-Sino Center” is a new milestone for Sino-German cooperation. He encouraged Tongji University to work together with its German partners and attract more Sino-German top-notch innovative talents and resources via the platform, to make positive contributions to the cooperation and exchanges between the two countries in emerging fields such as digitalization, green and innovation.

Prof. Dr. FANG Shou’en stated that Tongji University’s gene in internationalization and its strong connection with Germany are well-known both at home and abroad. A number of initiatives in Sino-German collaborative models have been created and great moments have been witnessed, and documented in governmental files of two countries for many times. The “Strategy 2.0 for Cooperation with Germany” released in recent years has further enhanced the university’s cooperation with Germany to high-level areas such as joint research and joint doctoral training. He believes that the “Tongji SEM German-Sino Center” is a good trial in building a “new lighthouse” for Sino-German cooperation, and he hopes that in the future, Tongji University will continue to work with its German partners and undertake its mission of high-level talent cultivation, research, and cultural exchanges by establishing a truly influential international platform for communications between academia and industries, jointly promoting the innovative development of Sino-German research, industry and cultural exchanges.

Prof. Dr. SHI Qian stated that SEM has inherited the University’s excellent traditional advantage of cooperation with Germany. Currently SEM has established cooperative relationships with nearly 20 well-known German higher education institutions, forming a high-level and wide-ranging cooperation system with German partners in various sectors. He also mentioned that the establishment of “Tongji SEM German-Sino Center” is an active measure for the School to integrate itself into the global innovation network and to promote in-depth integration of talents, education and industries. The Center, relying on Tongji University’s strong background in Sino-German cooperation as well as the high-quality resources of Tongji SEM, will build an influential cooperative platform for Sino-German academic and industrial exchanges by gathering innovative resources and exploring cooperation possibilities, contributing to the innovative development of Sino-German research, industry and cultural exchanges, he said.

Representatives from SEM’s key partners in Germany such as Prof. Dr. Axel Werwatz, Director of the Department of Econometrics/Applied Statistics at TU Berlin, together with Dr. Sigrun Abels, Director of the Center for Cultural Studies on Science and Technology in China, CCST, China Center, at TU Berlin, congratulated the official launch of Tongji SEM German-Sino Center in their speeches. They also expressed their expectations to potential cooperation in the near future.

In the session of “Day of Tongji University”, Prof. Dr. FANG Shou’en, Mr. YIN Wen, Director of International Exchange and Cooperation Office, Prof. Dr. SHI Qian and Prof. Dr. ZHENG Jialin, Dean of the School of Medicine, made comprehensive introductions to the guests about international exchanges and cooperation of Tongji University, Tongji SEM and the School of Medicine respectively.

An academic forum was also held during the inauguration ceremony themed with “Tongji-Germany Symposium 2024: Promoting the Green Transformation of the Automotive Industry—The Key Role of Sino-German Cooperation”. Industrial leaders from both China and Germany were invited to conduct in-depth discussions on new paths, new opportunities, and new challenges in the green transformation of global automotive industries. Guests attending the symposium included: Mr. Harry ROGASCH, Senior Director of Government Relations & Public Affairs at NIO GmbH, Mr. Andrzej WOJCIKOWSKI, Head of Region Asia at Mubea KG, and Ms. Lin Wenpei, Director of Public Affairs at CATL Europe.

During the meeting, Prof Shi Qian reviewed the history of the School and highlighted its outstanding achievements in recent years in the fields of international cooperation, international publication, industry-academia-research and sustainable development. Prof Shi Qian said that Tongji has always been focusing on sustainable and responsible business education, and is committed to cultivating business leaders with international vision, innovation capability and global responsibility. He hoped that Tongji would strengthen the contact and cooperation with GBSN in future, and jointly promote the high-quality development of business education.

Dr. Dan LeClair spoke highly of the core value and achievements of Tongji SEM, and expressed his great expectation for in-depth cooperation with SEM. He introduced the vision and operation mechanism of GBSN, shared its latest move and programs of global business education, and provided constructive advice on promote sustainability of business education together with Tongji SEM. Both parties also had an in-depth discussion on the possibilities of future cooperation, and Dr. Dan LeClair said that Tongji SEM has profound accumulation and unique advantages in the field of business education.

During the visit, both parties reached a preliminary consensus on jointly developing business education programs, academic research collaboration and students exchanges. Both sides expressed that they would further strengthen communication and contact, explore more cooperative possibilities, and contribute wisdom and strength to the development of global business education.

Global Business School Network (GBSN) is an independent organization founded by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its member institutions and partners are from six continents, including top institutions in the world such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cornell University, University of Oxford, ESSEC (France), Technische Universität München (Munich), and RSM (Holland). GBSN focuses on the sustainable development of business education and is committed to fostering cooperation between business schools around the world and cultivating outstanding management talent for developing countries and regions.