Organized by Shaanxi Normal University Xiamen University Hosted by Shaanxi Normal University Email: iupac-pcec2005@snnu.edu.cn

      Over the past eighty-two years, as the result of painstaking efforts by several generations of faculty and graduates inspired by the school motto: Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection, Xiamen University has accumulated rich experience in offering diverse educational programs. The university is unique as a campus "in a coastal Special Economic Zone facing Taiwan and with close ties with overseas Chinese." Following its fine tradition of "loving the motherland and the university", it has enjoyed a fine reputation both at home and abroad. Since its founding 82 years ago, over 120,000 students have graduated from the university, and over 50 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) have studied or worked at Xiamen University.
      With 20 schools containing 43 departments, and many key research institutes, Xiamen University has become a comprehensive university providing a fairly complete range of educational programs in humanities, social sciences, natural science, engineering and technology, management, art education, and medical science. The university now offers 71 undergraduate programs and 150 graduate programs, including 4 professional masters programs, 87 Ph.D. programs, and post-doctoral research centers established in the 12 first-class disciplines.
      Many of the university’s subjects and programs have received critical acclaim at both home and abroad. 13 subjects have been assessed and awarded as “national key disciplines”, and 10 subjects have been awarded as “provincial key disciplines”. In addition, 5 subjects (Chemistry, Biology, Life Science & Technology, Economics and History) have been designated as “national educational centers for talents”, 8 subjects are listed among the state key disciplines in the "211 Project” construction during the period of the ninth five-year plan, and 11 subjects are listed among the state key disciplines in "211 Project” construction during the period of the tenth five-year plan.

      Xiamen University’s over 4,500 staff, include 1,758 full-time faculty and professional researchers, 16 of which are academicians of CAS and CAE (8 academicians of CAS, 1 academician of CAE, 7 adjunct academicians). Moreover, 7 Xiamen University faculty members are seated on the State Council’s Academic Degree Appraisal Committee, and 14 of the faculty members have been awarded the title of "National Expert with Outstanding Contribution to the Country." The full-time teachers and researchers include 1,100 professors and associate professors, of which 334 are doctoral supervisors, accounting for 60% of the total. Fully 740 teachers and researchers, roughly 40% of the total, hold a Ph.D. degree, and 628 returned scholars from overseas account for 33.8% of the total. Among the teachers below the age of 45, 12 have obtained the "Science Grant for National Outstanding Youth" from the state; 8 have received the “Education Ministry Award for Excellent Young University Teacher”; 5 have been listed in the "One-hundred plus One-thousand plus Ten-thousand Talent Project”; 16 have been included in the Ministry of Education’s training program for the "Leading Figure for the New Century"; and 1 has been awarded as the “National Distinguished University Teacher”. The university has set up distinguished professorships in 8 subjects supported by the "State Yangtze Scholar Award Program" and distinguished professorships in 4 subjects supported by "Min-jiang Scholar Award Program" in Fujian Province.
      The university now has a total enrollment of 25,000 full-time on-campus students, including 15,813 undergraduates, 6,327 master students, 1,060 doctoral students, 847 overseas students, and 426 students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. In addition, the university has over 6,000 overseas correspondence students. Xiamen University is well-known for its excellent qualified graduates. Its students have consecutively won three gold medals for three years in China Undergraduate Challenge Cup for Business Plan Competition, and have landed the unique Special Prize in China Undergraduate Contest for Mathematical Modeling in 2003. In 2003, Xiamen University’s employment rate reached 96.83% for graduates and 96.1% for undergraduates—one of the highest ranks in the nation.

      Xiamen University has established over 70 research institutions, including 1 State Key Laboratory, 1 State Specialty Laboratory, 3 Education Ministry Key Laboratories,1 Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory, 2 Fujian Provincial Research Center, and 4 state key research bases in humanities and social sciences.
      Xiamen University has established inter-university cooperative ties with 69 institutions of higher education outside mainland China. By establishing academic ties with 24 universities and colleges, 63 research institutes and 34 media outlets in Taiwan, Xiamen University has become one of the universities in mainland China most actively engaged in educational, scientific, and cultural exchanges with Taiwan.
      In the past few years, the university has greatly improved its teaching and research facilities and its public service system. At present, the university has 3 campuses which cover a total area of over 8,000 mu. The 2,500 mu Xiamen campus, located in the southern part of Xiamen Island, has an area of 2,500 mu. while the Zhangzhou campus covers 2,568 mu and the Jimei campus has an area of 3,000 mu. Situated at the foot of the green mountains, facing the blue sea and encircling Xiamen bay, the three campuses are set amidst picturesque scenery. The university has 1,000,000 square meters of student residential facilities, a library with over 2,650,000 volumes of books, and 500,000,000 Yuan of instruments and equipment for research and teaching. The campus also has one of China’s highest rated advanced high-speed information networks.
      Xiamen University is now making great strides towards its goal of "building a high-level university well-known both at home and abroad."
      *Note: The “211 Project” refers to the carefully selected 100 Chinese universities affiliated with the Education Ministry of China that have been given first priority for development in the 21st century.

(The above data was accumulated by June 1, 2004)