Academician Kangle, President of Hebei University: "Gongshi goes up the mountain" for 5 years, and the school cannot be tried and error

Text ｜ "China Science News" reporter Ni Sijie

Editor

In recent years, a group of academicians of the two colleges who have achieved outstanding achievements in scientific research have taken the post of presidents of the university. While promoting the continuous development of higher education at the moment, the society has also attracted the general attention of "scientists governing schools". To this end, this newspaper planned "Scientist President, Hello!" The series reported to analyze this phenomenon.

Focusing on this theme, we will share the principals of scientists and the principals of scientists on education and science in the form of in -depth interviews, understanding and thinking on the development of global higher education, and the pre -pre -trend of my country's higher education in the context of the "double first -class" construction. Judgment and ideas.

Photo Conferry of Kangle Hebei University

In June 2017, Kangle, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, known for the world -renowned studies of ecological genome, began to take charge of a comprehensive university, a comprehensive university named after the liberal arts, and named after the provincial name.

In the past five years, Kangle has been feeling a lot. In the face of an exclusive interview with the Journal of China, he talked about his understanding of his identity change and the experience, dilemma and anxiety of school governing the school over the past five years.

"Governing the school is not allowed to try and error"

"China Science News": In 2017, when you chose to go to college as the principal, you had been engaged in scientific research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences for 30 years. Why did you make this choice at that time?

Kangle:

From 1993 to the present, I have trained nearly a hundred graduate students. In the meantime, I always thought about a question. When we were young, we regarded as a scientist as the highest ideal, but with the improvement of academic qualifications, why did they choose to use scientists as a life -long profession? Even after obtaining a doctorate degree and completing post -doctoral training, is it increasingly decreasing to choose scientific research?

The university has a complete education from undergraduate to a doctoral degree. I really want to experience it in the university and explore its main reasons. The invitation to the president of Hebei University is in line with my idea. Moreover, as a scientist, I am also willing to use my own experience to educate and guide students to establish a scientific spirit and actively participate in scientific research and innovative development.

Of course, another reason is that my ancestral home is in Hebei, and contributing to the development of my hometown is also my inconsistent responsibility.

"China Science News": From scientists to principals, your work object has shifted from natural laws and objective things to "people". From the transformation of "governing school" to "governing schools", what do you have to feel?

Kangle:

Management colleges and universities are much more complicated than managing research teams or research institutes. College is a relatively independent small society. There are huge students and teachers, as well as a relatively complete and complex administrative system, and the relationship with local and society is more complicated.

Before serving as the president of Hebei University, I had been the director of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for nearly a decade, and then the director of the Institute of Animal Research on the Chinese Academy of Sciences for five years. Since 1995, I have been teaching at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (referred to as the National University of Science and Technology). During this time, I have never been disconnected. In 2012, I also served as the dean of the School of Life Sciences of the University of Science and Technology. These experiences are very helpful for me to engage in university management and quickly entering the role of the principal. After arriving at Hebei University, I adapted to two or three months, and my work was more smooth.

However, there is a difference between academic and governance. The biggest difference is that academic attention focuses on innovation, advocates courage to try and error, and sets differently. Emphasize comprehensiveness and balance, so the management experience of laboratories or research institutions can be referred to, but it cannot be completely copied.

"China Science News": How do you give a better environment for faculty and students in the process of governing the school?

Kangle:

When I first came to Hebei University, I knew that the number and level of the school's talents still gapd up compared with some outstanding universities, so I planned to introduce outstanding talents from the outside world. But soon I discovered that the problem of the talent loss of the school was also serious, and not only the young and middle -aged teachers, but also older professors. The reason is that the first is that the school's salary level is low, and the other is that many science and engineering teachers want further development, but lack a suitable scientific research platform.

In order to stabilize the excellent teacher team, we first launched the teacher's annual salary system. The first batch of excellent teachers who have worked more than 100 years of work have been selected. Three years later we selected the second batch. In addition, the honorary awards of teachers are also inclined to front -line teachers.

After stabilizing the outstanding teachers of this school, we started to introduce a large number of talents. Over the past five years, we have introduced more than 500 outstanding talents at all levels, realizing the diversification of the teacher team, and basically solved the problem of update. The combination of citation has enabled the school to develop steadily during the reform, and a large number of talents have also been understood and supported by the teachers of our school.

During the investigation, I found that the reason why many outstanding talents did not develop into an excellent scientific researcher because they did not have a clear research topic after graduation, nor did they not conduct scientific research laboratories. Interested in research. Therefore, for the newly introduced young people, we include it into the existing scientific research team, and also launched the principal fund to allow them to carry out scientific research and gradually get used to the environment of teaching and scientific research.

At the same time, we also encourage them to actively apply for various national scientific research projects. The school gives policy tilt in the distribution of graduate students, supporting funds and title evaluation, and supports them to continuously create new knowledge and support learning. The student is the master of the university. We raised the award -winning scholarship of graduate students, and took part of the funding of the graduate mentor to increase to the subsidy of a doctoral student. For undergraduate students, we also conduct classification evaluations and cultivate according to students' interests. For example, the best students can be recommended to read graduate students or are recommended to other schools; and some students are keen on social practice, and we recommend them to administrative departments and enterprises and institutions.

"China Science News": How do you think colleges and universities should balance the relationship between scientific research and education?

Kangle:

In colleges and universities, how to make students become socialist builders and successors after several years of refining, which is a more complicated issue than training graduate students in scientific research institutes. People trained in colleges and universities are a minority who can finally adhere to the scientific research positions. Therefore, colleges and universities are not professional training, but use scientific research projects to train them to find problems, solve problems, and explain problems. As long as these three abilities, no matter what work they are engaged in, they can deal with it freely.

"Not only anxiety, but also anxiety"

"China Science News": Before you served as the president of Hebei University, do you have some longing for university education?

Kangle:

In the long -term scientific research process, I have been exposed to many scientists and many young people. In my opinion, some universities are more like a natural continuation of high school. They pay too much attention to textbook teaching. As a result, children who have trained have learned textbook knowledge and examinations. It is also not good at teamwork to overcome the problem. The university should cultivate students' ability to capture knowledge, their views on things, and their interest in their careers.

This training method has begun to try before I served as the president of Hebei University. When the Director of the Institute of Animal Research, I promoted the "Star Class" and the "Star Class" with Hebei University to allow students to enter the Laboratory of the Animal Research Institute in my junior year to understand what scientists are doing and find interest in science. Today, the "Star Class" has been running for seven or eight years, and 60%to 75%of graduates have obtained graduate students from well -known domestic universities and Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"China Science News": What is the first -class university in your mind? Compared with this goal, what traditions and experience do you think of Hebei University in Hebei University is worthy of affirmation and adherence? At the same time, what efforts do you have to do?

Kangle:

First -class universities need to have a first -class teacher team, first -class teaching and research facilities, cultivate first -class talents, produce first -class results, and should also be very prominent on social services and influence. In these respects, Hebei University has a certain distance compared to domestic first -class universities.

This distance is formed in the long -term historical process. Hebei University was founded in 1921. It was a 4 -year undergraduate university in its founding. It used to be known for its construction, transportation and business, and was known as "the East Cornell". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, after the adjustment of the college, the school's engineering sciences were placed at Tianjin University and Business, and the Tianjin Normal College was established on the basis of the Academy of Literature and Sciences. In 1960, Tianjin Normal University was converted into a comprehensive university and named Hebei University.

The long river of historical development has left us a lot of precious books, good books, local history, family genealogy, ancient books, and a collection of rich collection, supporting the development of humanities and classic biology of Hebei University. However, the school has too many historical debts in modern scientific research platforms, research teams and scientific research inheritance.

"China Science Journal": Do you have "anxiety in colleges and universities" or "'double first -class" anxiety "?

Kangle:

We are not only anxious, but also anxious. In 2018, Hebei University was selected as a joint university in a joint university in 14 provinces across the country. Although in many domestic and foreign universities, Hebei University's ranking is better than some "double first -class" universities, we know that there is still a certain distance from the country's higher requirements.

In recent years, Hebei University has been significantly improved and changed in all aspects, which is a gratifying change. We are now in the stage of "arched stone" and there is no retreat. If we use a little bit, "stone" may fall back. At the same time, we should also see that although we have made great progress in vertical, we have discovered horizontal comparisons that other brothers colleges are also rapidly improving. Therefore, the slow development is relatively retreat.

"China Science News": How do you maintain the original intention of science and education under pressure?

Kangle:

The long -term development strategy determined by Hebei University is "the peak of the liberal arts, the revitalization of science, and the rise of medicine". This was determined before I arrived at Hebei University. This positioning was very in line with the reality of Hebei University. We still worked in this direction.

At the same time, the Ministry of Education also identified two major disciplines for Hebei University: one is the Yanzhao Discipline Group, and the other is the subject group of life sciences and green development. Both development directions are targeted at the local economic and social development of Hebei Province. The former is closely related to undertaking traditional Chinese culture and red culture. Related. The development of these two discipline groups will drive the common development of the arts and sciences of Hebei University and other disciplines.

In addition, we also plan to concentrate on the basis of maintaining the connotative development of the school, concentrating their strengths to make up for three shortcomings -undertaking major national scientific research tasks, producing major national achievements, and building a national experimental platform. At the same time, set up a team -style scientific research team and establish several important scientific research teams in several large colleges. Each team forms a reasonable age and qualification level. Under the command of academic leaders Formulating research method. "Encourage the integration of liberal arts and sciences"

"Journal of Science": Hebei University is a comprehensive university with a long history of liberal arts. Do you think that scientific research capabilities are important for the development of river? How did you improve school scientific research capabilities?

Kangle:

Hebei University has a century -old history, and undergraduate education is very good. The characteristics of undergraduates also determine that there will be differences between schools and other research universities. The main tasks of the school are in teaching, and the scientific research capabilities are relatively weak. The science and engineering sciences are weak in the ability to fight for national tasks. Although the liberal arts are strong, they have a gap with the school that is known in the liberal arts in China.

For Hebei University, it is very important to improve scientific research capabilities. In colleges and universities, professors must have a dual role of teachers and scholars in order to be a good university teacher. After five years of hard work, the longitudinal scientific research funding from the entire school of Hebei University exceeded 100 million yuan last year. However, compared with some famous universities, there is still a gap in our scientific research.

Science should include two parts: natural science and humanities and social sciences. The two cannot be separated, but should promote each other, penetrate and integrate with each other. There are a large number of humanities and social science research institutions and academic journals internationally internationally. It is very important to tell Chinese scholars' theories, perspectives, methods and achievements in humanities and social sciences in international languages.

"China Science News": At present, some universities in my country have the phenomenon of "reasons". How do you understand the connection and differences between science and liberal arts? As a scientific and technological worker from natural science, how do you deal with the relationship between the disciplines between the arts and sciences when managing colleges and universities?

Kangle:

Humanities and social sciences occupy half of the country in the academic circles, and their management methods are very different from science and engineering -mostly in science and engineering in the form of teams, while liberal arts are mainly personal research. The relationship between liberal arts teachers and students is relatively loose, more like teachers and apprentices inherited.

The training of science and engineering talents is more for students to actually participate in research projects and use the experimental platform to carry out work. They cultivate students' logical thinking ability, scientific spirit, and pursuit of truth. Whether students or teachers, they must obey scientific truth. Essence In the face of this difference, in management, we have set up a social science department and a scientific research office to adopt different evaluation methods to identify scientific research results.

The advantages of comprehensive universities are both art and sciences, which is very suitable for people. Our ideas are to let science and engineering students feel the values, humanistic feelings brought by liberal arts, and in -depth thinking about life; let the liberal arts students have basic scientific literacy, learn to judge things with scientific methods; Appreciation and aesthetic quality. We encourage the integration of liberal arts and sciences. For example, it advocates setting up formal logic in outside logic courses, so that scientific student students take this scientific methodology courses.

At the same time, I also encouraged teachers of humanities and social sciences to publish papers on the international platform to push the achievements of humanities and social science arts to the world in international languages. We have also launched a cross -scientific fund to promote cross -study between the disciplines and different natural disciplines.

"The problem that can be solved for a long time"

"China Science News": From a geographical point of view, many world -renowned universities are not located in large cities, but in small towns. In contrast, most of the "double first -class" universities are in big cities. What do you think of the difference between Chinese and foreign universities?

Kangle:

This is related to the process of urbanization in China. In the past, large cities gathered more talents and resources, and social service functions were more complete. In contrast, there are difficulties in small cities in terms of social services, information exchanges, and international cooperation.

However, with the development of society, especially the development of information construction, in the future, small towns, especially small towns with beautiful environment, will likely appear famous universities. Moreover, as the population decreases and the source of students decreases, Chinese universities may face a new round of reorganization. People are pursuing a better high -level university, not to expand more universities, which also forced universities to develop at high levels. A medium -sized city has two or thirty colleges and universities.

"China Science News": In the face of the rapid development of information technology, do you think the previous role and function of universities are facing challenges and what adjustments should be made?

Kangle:

The development of information technology is full of changes in the appearance of the university.

First, the development of information technology enables the school to connect with the best universities in the world and share high education resources with them. , Art demonstration, medical surgery on -site demonstration, remote diagnosis, etc. will become very convenient; third, information technology can be combined with many disciplines to produce new branch disciplines. In addition, information technology will also become very important for school support services, and schools can better serve teachers and students through information construction. Finally, information technology also provides more convenient ways to serve the society.

"China Science News": Let's return to the problem you initially mentioned -fewer and fewer people choose scientific research and scientific and technological work. Have you found the answer? Kangle:

Although the answer is clear, the reason is multi -faceted. The main reason is that the current university has not found an effective way to stimulate students' scientific research interests. Students lack confidence in taking scientific research as the goal of long -term career development. Work and employment have become their priority and employment. Main driving force.

I do n’t want a large number of students to engage in scientific research, but I hope that the students who cultivate can develop in an all -round way, take their own interests, hobbies, and expertise as a fulcrum of the future, and obey their personal interests. This is a problem that requires long -term efforts to solve.

"China Science News" (2022-09-20, 4th edition of high education focus)

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