On May 20, 2017, Duke Kunshan University Advisory Board held its 2017 annual meeting at Duke Kunshan campus.
As the University enters the critical Phase II, the Advisory Board also welcomed 11 new members with remarkable accomplishments in diverse fields, including Mary Barra, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors Company, Jack Bovender, former Chairman and CEO of Hospital Corporation of America, Daniel Tsai, Chairman of Fubon Financial Holdings, Chen Xiaohong, Founding Partner of H Capital, David Taylor, P&G’s Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, Victor Fung, Group Chairman, Fung Group, and Honorary Chairman, Li & Fung Limited, He Qiaonv, Chairman of Orient Landscape Holdings, Wang Jingbo, Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Noah Holdings, Xu Xiaoping, Founder of Zhen Fund, Zhang Yichen, Chairman and CEO of CITIC Capital, and Raymund Chao, Chairman and CEO of PwC Greater China.
During the full day meeting, board members, Duke Kunshan leadership and representatives of Duke Kunshan partners had in-depth discussions over a various topics, including Duke Kunshan’s undergraduate program, recruitment and marketing strategies and research impact, contributing ideas and insights for the launch of the undergraduate degree program in the fall of 2018.
2017 Duke Kunshan University Advisory Board Meeting
Group photo
Board member Xu Xiaoping (Founding Partner and Executive Director, ZhenFund)
Board member Zhang Yichen (Chairman and CEO, CITIC Capital)
Board member Wang Jingbo (Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO, Noah Holdings)
At the beginning of the meeting, Executive Vice Chancellor Denis Simon presented a review of the past year’s teaching and research accomplishments. Board members were highly impressed with the intense and efficient work by the Duke Kunshan team for preparation of the undergraduate degree program.
During the member input session on liberal arts curriculum, Prof. William Kirby, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and a senior advisor to Duke Kunshan, shared with the board the past, present and future of the liberal arts in China from a historical perspective. He praised Duke Kunshan as ‘the greatest experiment in Chinese higher education today, and also the greatest experiment in international education by any American university.’
Executive Vice Chancellor Dennis Simon introduced the core concepts of Duke Kunshan liberal arts and science curriculum, which triggered heated discussion among board members. Chen Xiaohong, Xu Xiaoping, Zhang Yichen, Chauncey Shey and Wang Jingbo all shared their education and professional experiences, affirmed that critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, a fundamental understanding of what it means to be human and the capacity for life-long learning are more important now than ever before, which will serve as important basis for student’s success in the 21st century.
Professor William Kirby from Harvard talked about liberal arts in China from a historical perspective
The afternoon sessions was centered on Duke Kunshan’s recruitment strategy and marketing messages as well as its early research impact on the world’s key challenges. Recognizing that the caliber of students in the first undergraduate class will have a disproportionate impact on DKU’s future success as an institution, Board members were eager to offer their ideas and personal assistance for recruitment. Three DKU faculty leaders, Tang Shenglan, Zhang Junjie and Li Xin, presented a snapshot of their respective DKU research centers: Global Health, Environment, and Applied Physical Sciences and Engineering (including Data Science). Members were excited to learn about DKU projects involving government, business and other organizations on a wide range of topics.
In the summing up of the meeting, board members expressed great confidence in Duke Kunshan’s future as Jesse Wu pointed out, ‘DKU has made more progress in the last 12 months than the previous three years combined.’ Xu Xiaoping commented ‘Duke Kunshan allows Chinese students to receive Duke-quality education without leaving China, which combines advantages of China and US education. I would recommend all students to choose Duke Kunshan’ I have more confidence in China’s higher education thanks to Duke Kunshan. ‘ ‘We are in a critical age of development, combined with technological advantages of our era, we have the opportunity to create a great university’, added Chen Xiaohong.
Board member Chen Xiaohong (Founding Partner, H Capital)
During the meeting, Rick Wagoner, Chairman of Duke Kunshan Advisory Board, announced that inaugural Advisory Board members (2014-2016) will pool their resources to create a scholarship fund, the Richard H. Brodhead Global Scholars, in recognition of President Richard Brodhead’s extraordinary leadership in the creation of Duke Kunshan. The Richard H. Brodhead Global Scholars at DKU will be selected from among the very best Chinese and international applicants. The scholarship fund will allow students with exceptional academic talent and demonstrated character and leadership ability to ‘take the leap,’ with confidence, to join and help shape this new university.
Rick Wagoner announced the establishment of Richard H. Brodhead Global Scholars Fund in recognition of President Brodhead’s leadership in the creation of Duke Kunshan
