Soochow University

Soochow University is located in Suzhou, a historical and cultural city known as "Paradise on earth". It is a key university under the "211 Project", one of the first batch of universities included in the "2011 Plan", a university included in the "Double First-Class" initiative, a university jointly built by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and the people's Government of Jiangsu Province, and a key comprehensive university under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province. Soochow University, formerly known as Soochow University (founded in 1900), pioneered Western-style education, integrated the essence of Chinese and Western cultures, and was the first university in China to adopt a modern university discipline system. In the history of higher education in China, Soochow University was the first to offer professional education in law (common and American law), the first to offer postgraduate education and confer master's degrees, and the first to establish a journal. In 1952, the College of Arts and Sciences of Soochow University, the Sunan College of Culture and Education, and the Department of Mathematics and Physics of Jiangnan University were merged to form the Sunan Normal College, which was renamed Jiangsu Normal College in the same year. In 1982, the school was renamed Soochow University. Subsequently, Suzhou Sericulture College (1995), Suzhou Institute of Silk Engineering (1997), and Suzhou Medical College (2000) were merged into Soochow University. From the brilliant stars of the Republic of China era to the pioneering innovation of the Republic of China era; From the cultural heritage of teacher education to the strategic transformation and return of comprehensive universities; From the leapfrog development through the integration of multiple schools to the restoration of glory by striving for excellence, Soochow University has left a significant mark in the history of higher education in China.

For more than a century, generation after generation of Soochow people have always adhered to the school motto of "Nurturing the righteous spirit of heaven and earth, emulating the perfect man of the past and present", upheld the principle of academic excellence and the application of learning, advocated freedom and openness, inclusiveness and the pursuit of excellence, persisted in learning and practice, and strived for perfection, committed to cultivating model citizens with "the spirit of freedom, the ability of excellence, the personality of independence, and the responsibility of society" Over the long course of its education, it has produced more than 500,000 professionals of all kinds, including Xu Deheng, Zhou Gucheng, Fei Xiaotong, Lei Jieqiong, Sun Qimeng, Zhao Puchu, Qian Weichang, Dong Yinchu, Li Zhengdao, Ni Zhengri 'ao (yu), Zheng Pijiang, Yang Tieliang, Zha Liangyong (Jin Yong), and many other elites and social celebrities. More than 30 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, including Tan Jiazhen, Chen Ziyuan, Yu Mingfang, Song Daxiang and Zhan Qimin, have made significant contributions to the country's construction and social development.

The university has two national talent cultivation bases, one national innovation talent cultivation demonstration base, three national experimental teaching demonstration centers, one national virtual simulation experimental teaching demonstration center, two national talent cultivation mode innovation experimental zones, and one national off-campus practical teaching base for college students. 1 National 2011 Collaborative Innovation Center (leading unit); 1 Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education; 1 provincial and ministerial co-built national key laboratory, 1 national engineering laboratory, 2 national and local joint engineering laboratories, 2 national international cooperation joint research centers, 3 national public service platforms, 1 national university science park, 1 national key laboratory cultivation base, 1 Jiangsu Province University National Key Laboratory Cultivation and Construction point 4 Jiangsu University Collaborative Innovation Centers,19 provincial and ministerial key research bases in philosophy and social sciences, 30 provincial and ministerial key laboratories, 11 provincial and ministerial public service platforms, 4 provincial and ministerial engineering centers.

At present, the university has 5,197 staff members, 2,489 of whom have associate senior professional titles or above, including one Nobel laureate, seven academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and four academicians from developed countries. 27 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 36 recipients of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, 1 outstanding talent under the Ten Thousand Talents Program, 8 leading talents in Science and technology innovation under the Ten Thousand Talents Program, 3 outstanding young talents under the Ten Thousand Talents Program, and 6 members of the Academic Degrees Committee of The State Council. A relatively strong and well-structured faculty has been initially formed.

Soochow University regards talent cultivation as the central task of the school, with moral education as the foundation, positioned to cultivate outstanding talents with a sense of responsibility, innovation, application and internationality, guided by the integration of general education and professional education, and focused on improving students' comprehensive quality, consolidating professional foundation and cultivating innovation and entrepreneurship ability, actively deepening the systematic reform of talent cultivation, Continuously improve the quality of talent cultivation. The School of Nanoscience and Technology of the university has been listed as one of the first 17 national pilot colleges and has become a special zone for the reform of the higher education system and mechanism. The school has established two colleges to explore new models of talent cultivation. Jingwen College is positioned as the "second classroom" outside of professional education, while Tangwenzhi College conducts liberal arts education in the "first classroom". In recent years, more than 200 students from the school have won national awards each year. In 2013, our school successfully held the 13th "Challenge Cup" National College Students' Series of Science and Technology Academic Competitions and won the championship cup again with the second highest total score in the country. In 2018, our school won one gold award and two bronze awards in the special competition of the "Chuangqingchun" entrepreneurship competition. In the last four Olympic Games, four students, Chen Yanqing, Wu Jingyu, Sun Yang and Zhou Chunxiu, won five gold MEDALS, one silver medal and one bronze medal. Mr. Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, sent a special letter to express his gratitude.

The school has implemented the "reaching for the sky and standing firm on the ground" science and technology innovation strategy, and has achieved fruitful results in scientific research and innovation. As of 2018, 34 national-level projects have been obtained in the field of humanities and social sciences, including 1 major project and 3 key projects; Five achievements have won the Jiangsu Excellent Theoretical Achievement Award, and 18 achievements have won the Jiangsu Educational Science Research Achievement Award, including three first prizes and eight second prizes; One achievement won the Seventh Lu Xun Literature Prize. In the field of natural science, 311 projects were funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, ranking 19th among all universities in the country in terms of the number of projects approved. It remained the top university among local universities for seven consecutive years and was among the top 20 universities in the country. One achievement won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2017; Seven achievements were awarded the Ministry of Education for Outstanding Scientific Research Achievements of Higher Education Institutions, including one first prize and two second prizes in natural science, one first prize and two second prizes in Science and technology progress, and one second prize in technology invention; Ten achievements won the Jiangsu Science and Technology Award, including four first prizes. A total of 4,089 papers were indexed in the three major databases. Among them, 2,485 papers were indexed in SCIE and 1,234 papers were indexed in "China's Outstanding International Science and Technology Papers", ranking 23rd and 20th among Chinese universities respectively. In 2017, our university filed 1,336 intellectual property rights and granted 1,033 intellectual property rights (including 80 international patent applications and 8 granted). According to the 2017 Nature Index and lens platform data, Soochow University ranked first among the most innovative research institutions and universities in the world in the Chinese mainland.

The university is fully and deeply advancing the internationalization of education in line with the development strategy of "promoting domestic excellence with international recognition". It has established intercollegiate exchange relations with more than 180 universities and research institutions in over 30 countries and regions. The school admits more than 3,000 international students each year from over 60 countries or regions. Since 2007, the university has collaborated with Portland State University to establish the Confucius Institute at Portland State University. In 2010, it was selected for the Ministry of Education's "China-Africa University 20+20 Cooperation Program" to assist in the construction of the University of Lagos in Nigeria. In 2011, China successfully established its first overseas university, Soochow University of Laos, in Laos, which has now become an important stopover and cultural calling card on the country's Belt and Road Initiative.