From July 12 to 14, the 2025 Annual Conference of the Alliance for Graduate Education Development in Applied Universities and the 4th National Symposium on Graduate Education in Applied Universities were held at Jiangsu University of Technology. The event was hosted by the Alliance and organized by Jiangsu University of Technology.

Attendees included Yang Shubing, Deputy Director-General of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education; Pan Dongling, Vice Mayor of Changzhou; Cui Jinggui, Party Secretary of Jiangsu University of Technology; Dai Guohong, President of Jiangsu University of Technology; as well as more than 260 experts, scholars, and leaders from over 80 universities and research institutions nationwide. CUZ Vice President Yao Zheng and the head of the Graduate School represented the university at the conference.

High-Level Forum

During the high-end forum, keynote reports were delivered by:

lTang Jiwei, former First-Level Inspector of the Department of Degree Management and Graduate Education, Ministry of Education

lJi Hongbing, Council Member of the Chinese Society of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education, and former Executive Vice Dean of the Graduate School, Xidian University

lJin Ke, Director of Graduate Education Division and Director of the Academic Degree Office, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education

● Their presentations focused on building applied universities, discipline development, and program structure adjustments, providing valuable insights into the direction of graduate education reform.

Institutional Sharing

Representatives from Zhejiang University, China Agricultural University, Shandong Jiaotong University, and Huaiyin Institute of Technology shared best practices and experiences on:

● Deep integration of industry and education

● Building an “Educated and Strong Nation”

● Training high-level talent

Parallel Forums

The symposium also featured parallel sessions with three themes:

● Artificial Intelligence and New Liberal Arts

● Industry-Education Integration Empowering Professional Master’s Training

● Talent Development Pathways in Agriculture and Medicine

Experts and scholars engaged in in-depth exchanges, offering forward-looking, strategic, and innovative ideas that provided new perspectives for the advancement of graduate education in applied universities.

CUZ Contributions

Vice President Yao Zheng chaired the session on Artificial Intelligence and New Liberal Arts. Presentations included:

● Hu Youfeng, Deputy Director of the Center for Literary Aesthetics, Shandong University – AI and New Liberal Arts Development

● Chen Qi, Associate Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, Northwest University of Political Science and Law – Humanities Collaboration Through Social Service

● Zhang Bangwei, Dean of CUZ Graduate School – Training Master’s Students in Journalism and Communication Under the New Liberal Arts Context

The session’s reports were highly praised by participants for their relevance and depth.