Election is prelude to modern university system: expert  

三所大学校长全球选校长 专家建议放松国籍要求

继去年底中国教育部首次公开选拔西南财经大学、东北师范大学校长后，4日，教育部再次发布公告，面向海内外公开选拔北京科技大学、北京中医药大学和中国药科大学校长。此举被视为“建立现代大学制度的前奏”。

Beijing (CNS) -- The Ministry of Education's (MOE) open recruitment of top leaders for three domestic universities is a prelude to a modern university system, an educational expert has said.

Chu Chaohui, a researcher at the National Institute of Educational Sciences, told Chinanews.com on Wednesday that university presidents are now sought publicly among high-end talents instead of being designated by the ministry. This has opened a door for the establishment of a modern university system, he said.

Chu said a good university president – much more so than a qualified official – requires a sense of calling as well as respect towards professors and students; capability in university management is also stressed.

It is unnecessary to require all candidates to be Chinese citizens, and if this requirement were removed, more overseas talents would be attracted, he added.

Chu also called for a professional recruitment procedure for candidates, not a wide public opinion evaluation.

The MOE on Tuesday launched public recruitment for top positions at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, and the China Pharmaceutical University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.