Tongji Undergraduate Program “Political Science & Administration” is successfully evaluated

 The evaluation of Tongji University’s “political science & administration” program (including international politics) was successfully held in Tongji University on November 13, 2020. The program evaluation expert group was led by Zhu Guanglei, a chair professor at Nankai University, former Vice President of NKU, a distinguished professor under the Changjiang Scholars (aka Cheung Kong Scholars) Program of MOE, Deputy Director of the Colleges and Universities Political Science Steering Committee of MOE, and Vice President of the Chinese Association of Political Science. Expert members included Professor Guan Haiting, Deputy Director of the Office of Social Sciences, Peking University and Secretary General of the Colleges and Universities Political Science Steering Committee of MOE; Professor Zhang Mingjun, Vice President of East China University of Political Science and Law and a member of the Colleges and Universities Political Science Steering Committee of MOE; Professor Tong Dezhi, Dean of the School of Political Science and Administration, Tianjin Normal University, a young Changjiang scholar in the first batch and a distinguished professor under the Changjiang Scholars Program of MOE, a member of the 8th Political Science Evaluation Group of the State Council, and a member of the Colleges and Universities Political Science Steering Committee of MOE, and Vice President of the Chinese Association of Political Science; Professor Zhang Xianming, Dean of the School of Public Administration, Jilin University, a distinguished professor under the Changjiang Scholars Program of MOE, a member of the 8th Political Science Evaluation Group of the State Council, and a member of the Colleges and Universities Political Science Steering Committee of MOE, and Vice President of the Chinese Association of Political Science; Professor Han Zhaoying, Editorial Director of Nankai Journal and Chief Editor of Nankai Journal (Philosophy, Literature and Social Science Edition) and a member of the 8th Political Science Evaluation Group of the State Council; Professor Zhang Zhenjiang, Dean of the School of International Studies / the Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies, Jinan University and a member of the Colleges and Universities Political Science Steering Committee of MOE. The above experts conducted a comprehensive and in-depth evaluation of the political science and administration program of Tongji University through discussions, investigations, exchanges and other methods.

On that morning, the expert group sat in the classroom and respectively listened to the lecture “Introduction to International Political Economy” by Tongji Distinguished Professor Li Bin from the Department of International Relations, the School of Political Science & International Relations, Tongji University, and the lecture “Local Government Studies” by Associate Professor Ge Tianren from the Department of Political Science, the School of Political Science & International Relations, Tongji University. They wanted to gain an understanding of the teachers’ teaching style and the students’ classroom performance.

Then, the group went to the School of Political Science & International Relations to have a comprehensive survey of the conditions for running the political science & administration program, and conduct a careful spot check of the exam papers, thesis proposals, dissertations, and other essential materials related to teaching and management. At the same time, they inspected the basic hardware and supporting facilities this program relies on, and had a comprehensive evaluation of the relevant conditions.

Next, the group had online & offline hybrid interactions with the faculty, student, alumni and employer representatives in the conference room 1402 of Zhonghe Building to learn more about teachers and students’ opinions of and expectations for the future development of the program.

That afternoon, the expert group participated in the evaluation meeting on the “Political Science & Administration” program of Tongji hosted by the School of Political Science & International Relations in the conference room C501 of the Sino-French Center inside Tongji University. Professor Fang Ping, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Secretary of the Committee for Discipline Inspection, Tongji University attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Professor Lei Xinghui, Vice President of teaching, sent kind wishes. Professor Lyu Peiming, Vice President of humanities, had a friendly talk with the experts. The opening ceremony was moderated by Professor Men Honghua, Distinguished Professor, Dean of the School of Political Science & International Relations, and President of the Institute for China & World Studies, Tongji University. At the evaluation meeting, Professor Huang Yiru, Dean of the Undergraduate & Freshman School, Tongji University, gave a detailed introduction about the undergraduate program development of the University; Li Yadong, Director of Tongji University Quality Management Office, introduced to the experts the undergraduate quality management system of the University; and Zhong Zhenming, Deputy Dean in charge of teaching at the School of Political Science & International Relations, gave a special report on the development of the political science & administration program.

Subsequently, the expert group conducted an evaluation of the political science and administration program of Tongji University based on the relevant introductions by the university, school and program as well as the self-evaluation report of the program. The evaluation was headed by the group leader Professor Zhu Guanglei. During the evaluation, the experts commented on the development of the program in details, and offered specific advice and suggestions. After a private session, the expert group finally formed an Expert Evaluation Report on the Political Science & Administration Program of Tongji University (hereinafter “the Report”), and Professor Zhu read it out on the spot.

 The Report shows that the expert group has fully recognized the performance in institutional development, training system, team building, teaching and research achievements, international exchange, and training effectiveness of the political science & administration program (including international politics) of Tongji University, along with forward-looking and specific guidance on the faculty scale, teaching and research directions, curriculum structure, high-end results, and teaching space for the program. The Report concludes that the political science & administration program (including international politics) of Tongji University has distinctive program characteristics, outstanding development achievements, and notable school-running results based on its leapfrog development in recent years, qualifying itself for a first-class undergraduate program in the country.