On May 29, 2010, Fudan University officially conferred the Honorary Doctor Degree upon Prof. Mark Wrighton, Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, and held a short but exciting conferring ceremony at the School of Management, Fudan University.

Prof. Wrighton received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from California Institute of Technology in 1972, and has been the Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis since 1995. In the years following his appointment, the University has made significant progress in teaching, research and other areas.

Honorary Degree: Acknowledgement as well as Anticipation

In the afternoon, the ceremony was held at the Auditorium of Li Da San Building at FDSM. President of Fudan University Prof. Yuliang Yang, Standing Vice President of Fudan University Prof. Weiping Wang and Former President of Fudan University Prof. Shenghong Wang attended the ceremony. Representatives from FDSM, School of Social Development and Public Policy, School of Laws, School of Environmental Science and Engineering as well as Department of Chinese Language and Literature also participated in the ceremony.

President Yang delivered opening speech on behalf of Fudan University. He reviewed the cooperation between Fudan University and Washington University in St. Louis since the end of the 20^th century. The two universities have made fruitful achievements by collaborating on academic exchanges, scientific explorations and talent cultivations. The long-term cooperation has greatly connected cutting-edge Western ideas with the unique Chinese spirit. Prof. Wrighton’s acceptance of the Honorary Doctor Degree of Fudan University represents not only an acknowledgement of Fudan University’s achievements made during its long development history but also an anticipation of further and more in-depth cooperation between the two universities. It will boost exchanges on a full range of fields between the two institutions, and thus foster a strong and everlasting friendship.

Afterward, President Yang adjusted the position of the tassel of Chancellor Wrighton’s doctoral mortarboard, and awarded him the Honorary Doctor Degree of Fudan University. Wearing Fudan University’s doctoral gown, Chancellor Wrighton gave a keynote address with the title of “Strengthening Higher Education through International Partnerships”. He appreciated Fudan University’s acknowledgement of his job and argued that international partnerships were going to be the inexhaustible driving force behind the sustainable development of higher education institutions in the new era. We are in an open world where all kinds of educational resources and ideas flow freely to search for the most effective way of collaboration. Therefore, educational cooperation in different cultural backgrounds allows the partners to consolidate their strengths, absorb advanced experience, create diverse atmosphere, and thus achieve sustainable development of both partners.

Collaborative Endeavors: Building a Mutually Beneficial Platform

As early as in 2007, Fudan University and Washington University in St. Louis established the strategic partnership. Since 2008, the two universities has been expanding the cooperation from management education to a wide area including international relations, social work, public health, energy environment, etc. and agreed to set up a committee that meets annually to plan joint projects in order to further the cooperation.

In September 2008, Chancellor of Fudan University Prof. Shaode Qin visited Washington University and discussed the details of new cooperation. Since then, the cooperation between the two universities has made a number of important breakthroughs including:

Prof. Pratim Biswas, Chair of Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University visited Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University, and signed along with Chancellor Qin the agreement on undergraduate student and faculty exchanges and joint projects. Prof. Kent Syverud, Dean of School of Law and Prof. Edward Lawlor, Dean of School of Social Work at Washington University visited School of Laws and School of Social Development and Public Policy at Fudan University, respectively, and discussed the details of cooperation on social investigation and academic research. Besides, McDonnell International Scholars Academy at Washington University had cooperation with Institute of International Studies and Center for American Studies at Fudan University, including the support for faculty and students from both universities to attend international forums as well as the exchange of views on the selection of research project and the transformation of research achievements into productive forces.

It is worth mentioning that the EMBA Program jointly launched by FDSM and Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis in 2002, has been ranked among the best in the world and No.1 in China for the fourth year in a row according to the Financial Times global EMBA ranking. The program boasts the first-class faculty team, the unique teaching model and the advanced idea of management education, all of which demonstrate the fruitful achievements born out of the cooperation between the two universities. Both partners vow to carry forward the cooperation by conducting wider and more in-depth communications and exchanges as well as making further achievements in terms of the development of business schools and the internationalization of talent cultivations.