The launch ceremony of “Cultivating Talents with Integrated Thinking: Joint Cultivation Project for International Senior International Talents from Asian Universities” enlisted in CAMPUS Asia Mode 3, and the first high-level executive meeting was held on 12 January, 2022. Beijing Normal University (BNU) is one of the partner universities of the project. Hiroshima University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Indonesian University of Education, Kasetsart University, and Changchun University also joined the launch ceremony. The meeting was attended by Zhou Zuoyu, Vice President of BNU, Wu Yujun, Director of the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, BNU, Liu Lengxin, Deputy Director of the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, BNU, and Dong Xiaobin, Deputy Head of Faculty of Geographical Science, BNU, among other staff members.

At the meeting, the goals, tasks, and future plans of the project were introduced, and the respective roles and responsibilities of partner universities were clarified. According to the project design, all partner universities will fully leverage their respective advantages and make joint efforts to cultivate talents with integrated thinking via the educational model of combining online courses and offline communications/exchanges. Meanwhile, partner universities will take turns to hold the annual high-level executive meeting.

Zhou Zuoyu delivered a speech online on behalf of BNU. He shared BNU’s previous experience of participating in CAMPUS Asia Mode 2. He explained that in Mode 3, the “3+X model” was adopted to expand the scope of partners, thus strengthening the cultivation of international talents, and effectively increasing cooperation channels among partner universities. BNU will give full play to its disciplinary advantages in geography and education, to jointly promote the smooth operation of the project with other partners.

The five-year project, “Cultivating Talents with Integrated Thinking: Joint Cultivation Project for International Senior International Talents from Asian Universities,” was approved as one of the projects in CAMPUS Asia Mode 3 in November 2021, which was applied by the Faculty of Geographical Science on behalf of BNU, together with Hiroshima University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Indonesian University of Education, Kasetsart University, and Changchun University. After the launch ceremony, the faculty will, under the guidance of the BNU, focus on project tasks, formulate short-term and long-term plans based on its disciplinary advantages and the Global Development Strategic Plan 2020-2025, and faithfully implement the project to promote exchanges among students from Asian universities and contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.