Editor’s Notes:
With the history going forward, IMU has experienced its good days in the past. In 1957, IMU was established in the northern border area of China with the country’s new development, which started the new chapter for the education of higher learning in the border area mainly inhabited by minority ethnic groups in China.
For 63 years, IMU has followed its original aspiration and mission to “cultivate talents for the CPC and the country”, taken the responsibility to “base itself in the northern border area of China and boost education and Inner Mongolia”, clung to the “Two-Task” principle proposed by Ulanhu, IMU’s first president and found out a path for the construction of a high-level university in the border area mainly inhabited by minority ethnic groups in China.
During the 13th-Five-Year-Plan period, IMU has started its construction of a “Double-First-Class” university, become the institution of higher learning jointly built by the Ministry of Education and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and had a great-leap-forward development. The university has oriented itself to first-class innovations and contributions, highlighted the characteristics of quality and put emphasis on the connotative development. Taking talent cultivation, innovative capabilities and serving and contributing to the society as the core elements in its development, IMU has adhered to driving its development by double engines of the improvement of its strength and deepening of its reform. It has also carried out “Six Strategies”, pushed forward the “Reform in Six Aspects”, solidified its existing foundation, kept ahead and tried its best to build itself into a university with prominent minority ethnic characteristics and regional characteristics.
The year of 2020 is the last year of the 13th-Five-Year-Plan period and also the year for the strategic planning of next five years. To sum up the great achievements made by the university during the 13th-Five-Year-Plan period, look into the 14th-Five-Year Plan and focus on planning a new future of IMU, IMU Newsnet is to give a series of reports themed “Looking Back at IMU During the 13th-Five-Year-Plan Period, We Unite Together to Strive for Our Future”.
IMU has been adhering to openness in its development. Taking structuring an effective internationalized system for talent cultivation as the focus and “talent introducing” and “going global” as the main means, IMU has formed new cooperation pattern, widened its cooperation channels, tried to push forward the diversified and high-level international cooperation and exchange in all aspects. It has continuously expanded its internationalized education and improved the quality of its talent training and the internationalization of its teaching staff.
Strengthening its cooperation with prestigious universities in other countries
While improving the cooperation and exchange with universities and research institutions in its neighboring countries like Mongolia and Russia, IMU has tried to start the cooperation and exchange with the universities and research institutions of the developed countries in Europe and the United States and the universities in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It has signed the cooperation agreements with 12 universities in these countries and regions including Cambridge University of Great Britain, the Australian National University of Australia, Concordia University of Canada, Cafoscari University of Venice of Italy, Eotvos Lorand University of Hungary and Charles University of Czech Republic. Altogether, the university has signed the cooperation agreements with 105 universities. 779 of its teachers have been to those universities and research institutions that cooperate with IMU for lecturing, further study and attending academic conferences, cooperative research and academic visit, and 581 students from IMU have been to some internationally prestigious universities like Cambridge University and the Australian National University for further study and attending academic conferences, which has strengthened the internationalization of talent training of IMU. In addition, 104 foreign teachers have come to IMU for teaching and scientific research. Hence, the improvement of the internationalization of IMU’s teaching staff.
The delegation from the University of Arts and Culture of Mongolia pays an exchange visit to IMU.
Matan Vilnai, Israeli ambassador to China, pays a visit to IMU.
Deepening international cooperation in science and research
IMU has got approval from the Ministry of Education to establish one base for discipline innovation and introduction of talents in institutions of higher learning and of 8 projects for introduction of talents. It has organized specialists from China and Mongolia to engage in the Cyrillic Mongolian translation of the first volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China and Shaking Off Poverty and their publishing, which helps Xi Jinping’s thought about governance known in Mongolia. IMU also cooperates with Cambridge University in the research project of “the Collection and Collation about Intangible Cultural Heritage of Turehot Mongolians ” which is funded by Cambridge University with 27,000 pounds. IMU has launched the project of “the Joint Survey of Inscriptions on the Precipices of Mount Yanran” with Ghengis Khan University of Mongolia. And during the survey the project team found Chinese ink inscription in Phagspa, Chinese ink inscription in Mongolian and rock paintings in Mount Bogda, excavated some ruins like those of Huns’ tombs and made rubbings from the inscriptions on the precipices of Mount Yanran and inscriptions on Inil Hairhan Mountain in Mongolia. IMU has also successfully held 27 important international academic conferences. Its cooperation in scientific research with other countries has further been deepened.
IMU attends the annual conference of the International Forum of the Think Tanks of China, Russia and Mongolia.
IMU conducts cooperation and exchange with University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Establishing platforms for international cooperation and exchange
IMU has successively joined the League of Chinese and Mongolian Universities and One Belt and One Road Branch of China Education Association for International Exchange, which makes it one of the first six universities joining the league and further strengthens the cooperation among the universities and scientific research institutions from the countries along the Belt and Road. In addition, IMU has also jointly established with Aichi University the Center for the Studies of Application of GIS(Geographical Information System) and Regional Economy and Industries and Sino-British Digital Laboratory with Warwick University.
The Forum on the Economic Prospect and Transformation of New and Old Driving Forces against the Backdrop of Globalization is held at IMU.
IMU establishes the Academy for the Economic Studies of China, Mongolia and Russia.
Developing steadily the education for international students
During the 13th Five-Year Plan period IMU has admitted 806 international students from 31 countries like Mongolia, Russia and Japan and become the university in China that admits most international students from Mongolia and has most alumni from Mongolia. Moreover, more and more international students who come to IMU intend to get degrees and they are 93% of all the international students admitted by IMU. The university has got the approval from the Ministry of Education of one special key project for the international cooperation on education among the countries along One belt and One Road named “A Study of the Efficiency Assessment and Allocation Optimization of Scholarship Programs for International Students in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ” , and the fund for the project is RMB250,000.
IMU is rated first-class by the Public Security Department of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the credit rating of the colleges and training schools involved in foreign affairs in Inner Mongolia.
IMU holds its first International Culture Festival themed grassland affection, China dream and world friendship.
IMU is gathering strength for its development. In the future, the university will cling to openness in its development, and continue to open up new international cooperation in which it will get resources, strengthen itself and forge ahead its development. IMU will continue to push forward its effective cooperation with the world-class universities to further improve the level of its disciplines and its reputation and influence in academic field.
