Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), established in 2006, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The university has driven academic innovation to equip students for a rapidly changing world, incorporating artificial intelligence and its “syntegrative education” strategy. Leaders stress that an entrepreneurial mindset and global perspective are essential for future talent.
Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, located in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China, is an international research-focused joint venture between Xi’an Jiaotong University and the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. The university operates campuses in Suzhou Industrial Park and Taicang, offering about 110 degree programmes in science, engineering, business, finance, architecture, urban planning, language and culture, all taught in English.
Established in 2006 and marking its 20th anniversary this year, the university has pursued academic innovation to lead China’s educational reform. Executive President Professor Youmin Xi, in the role since 2008, says the institution has integrated artificial intelligence into its curriculum and daily routines in recent years, while spending the past decade balancing national needs with the digital age.
In the 2016-17 academic year, it launched its “syntegrative education” strategy to develop global talent with practical leadership skills and an entrepreneurial mindset. At the XJTLU Entrepreneur College on the Taicang campus, students tackle real business problems through projects with industry partners. “We hope that by bridging the gap between education, businesses and society we can spark new conversations and collaborations, which can create innovative solutions for global issues and bring an even more long-lasting, positive impact to the world,” Xi says.
The university has produced about 50,000 graduates over 20 years, many pursuing postgraduate studies at top global institutions. Chief Officer of (Education) Ecology Professor Stuart Perrin agrees that interdisciplinary approaches and industry alliances are key to fostering entrepreneurship. He oversees new academies to position the university as a future education leader.
The Year One Global Citizenship course, delivered via the Learning Institute for Future Excellence in the Academy of Future Education, draws on the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals from 2015. It uses project-based learning to discuss issues like poverty, hunger, climate change, AIDS, and gender discrimination, building global citizen attitudes. “What’s interesting about this course is that it uses a project-based learning approach, which many of our Chinese students... are not familiar with,” Perrin says, noting it also prepares them for university learning and overseas postgraduate success.
Xi envisions the university evolving into a “global university” over the next 20 years, with plans for a new campus near Suzhou Industrial Park starting this summer to integrate society into education. Expansion includes a school in Thailand for youth potential and lifelong learning, extending to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. “Whenever the topic of ‘transnational education’ is brought up... Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University is cited as one of the most innovative and successful case studies,” he adds.
