School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology of Tianjin University: A Demo Project as an International Center of Excellence in China

Abstract

Tianjin city is home to many firsts in China, including not only the first and oldest international hotel in China, but also the first university for modern higher education - Tianjin University (Peiyang University) in 1895. The founding of this university was important not only in that it brought China into the industrial age and led to many major industrial achievements for China (first car, first plane, first telecommunication network), but also because it was founded through the joint efforts of Chinese entrepreneur SHENG Xuan Huai and American educator Charles D. Tenney. That fact has special relevance to this book concerning international research, because it demonstrates the roots of such programs back to the end of the 19th century, and the beginning of modern China (Read, T. T., Popular Science Monthly, Volume 80, May 1912). Tianjin University, now celebrating its 120th anniversary, is again in the spotlight for international training in Chinese higher education. The School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (SPST) at TJU is an international demonstration project, recognized by the Chinese State Authority of Foreign Experts Association (SAFEA) as the 1st National International Center of Excellence (NICE). The charge of SPST is to develop a fully international school within a 985 Chinese University system. This task requires one to address, at the international level, issues of administration and logistics, curriculum reform, instrumentation and infrastructure development, as well as student and faculty recruitment. This article summarizes my perspectives and experience as the Dean of SPST and the successful efforts to develop an internationally recognized research institution during my first 2 years at SPST.