In a bid to align with Taizhou’s benchmarking initiative against Foshan and accelerate efforts to achieve university status upgrading and doctoral program accreditation, TU leadership embarked on a study tour to Guangdong from March 24 to 26. Led by Zhu Jian, Secretary of the CPC TU Committee, and Yue Chuanyong, President and Deputy Secretary of the CPC TU Committee, the delegation sought insights into successful strategies for institutional advancement, discipline development, industry-academia integration, local collaboration, and talent cultivation at Foshan University and Guangzhou University.

Exchange with Foshan University

Exchange with Guangzhou University

During discussions, both host institutions—historically rooted in teacher education and operating under provincial-municipal co-governance frameworks—highlighted shared challenges in pursuing high-quality development. Open dialogues centered on securing systemic government support, breaking bottlenecks in university status and doctoral program accreditation metrics, talent recruitment, discipline modernization, high-impact platform development, localized service models, and innovative talent training. The delegation acknowledged the value of identifying gaps through comparative analysis, stressing the need for extraordinary measures to address core deficiencies in accreditation benchmarks. Key takeaways included:

Doubling down on application-oriented positioning: Prioritize integrated reforms in education, technology, and talent, while deepening ties between scientific innovation and industrial needs. Initiatives like industry-academia colleges, university science parks, and dual-appointment systems for faculty-enterprise roles were underscored.

Talent-driven growth: Ramp up recruitment of top-tier scholars, enhance performance evaluation, and incentivize breakthrough achievements aligned with accreditation goals.

Governance enhancement: Strengthen academic school autonomy, cultivate mid-level leadership capabilities, and leverage performance assessments to galvanize institutional momentum.

Inspecting “Foshan Manufacturing · Craftsman Spirit · FSU Power” Exhibition Hall

Inspecting the Earthquake Engineering Research Center of Guangzhou University

The delegation visited Foshan University’s “Foshan Manufacturing · Craftsman Spirit · FSU Power” Exhibition Hall, exploring its industry-embedded ethos of “rooting in, serving, and leading industries.” At Guangzhou University, inspections of the Earthquake Engineering Research Center, Vibration Control Science Gallery, Silk Road Maritime Research Laboratory, and smart classrooms showcased its strategic alignment with national and regional priorities. Notable achievements included Guangzhou University’s meteoric rise in doctoral program accreditation through provincial-municipal synergy, discipline consolidation, and a “talent-first” strategy.

Both host institutions’ successes—particularly Foshan University’s dual attainment of university status and doctoral programs accreditation within a year, fueled by Guangdong’s Greater Bay Area opportunities—left a profound impression. The trip reinforced TU’s resolve to champion the “Six-Diligence Work Ethic” and “Four-Thousand Spirit,” advance college-level governance reforms, and amplify its distinct identity as a high-level application-oriented institution with robust engineering strengths and teacher education heritage.

Leading the delegation were Han Deman, Vice President; Zheng Lijun, Director of Human Resources; and heads of relevant administrative departments.