Home - SFEE-4 & WCU-10

Introduction

In the era of the knowledge economy and globalization, world-class universities play a crucial role in cultivating talent as well as generating, disseminating, and applying knowledge. They form a vital foundation for strengthening national capabilities and enhancing global competitiveness. Over the past three decades, promoting academic excellence has been high on the policy agenda of stakeholders around the world, turning the pursuit into a “world-class” movement.

Since 2005, the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University has successfully initiated and hosted the International Conference on World-Class Universities (WCU). Each of the nine conferences held to date has focused on timely and important issues related to world-class universities and academic excellence. Over time, the WCU conferences have evolved into a leading international platform for advancing dialogue and research on academic excellence.Since 2005, the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University has successfully initiated and hosted the International Conference on World-Class Universities (WCU). Each of the nine conferences held to date has focused on timely and important issues related to world-class universities and academic excellence. Over time, the WCU conferences have evolved into a leading international platform for advancing dialogue and research on academic excellence.

Since its founding in 2020, the School of Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University has organized the Shanghai Forum for Education Excellence (SFEE). The past three forums have explored pressing and globally relevant issues in educational excellence. The forum has attracted wide participation from internationally renowned scholars and experts, both online and in person, to explore the future of global education through multidisciplinary perspectives.

The year 2025 will mark a special occasion, as the 4th Shanghai Forum for Education Excellence (SFEE-4) and the 10th International Conference on World-Class Universities (WCU-10) will be jointly held at Shanghai Jiao Tong University from November 15th to 16th, 2025. The theme of the joint conference is “World-Class Universities: Promoting Global Common Good (GCG).”

Amid a shifting global landscape and the pressing challenges of sustainable development, world-class universities are called upon to play a more active and leading role in promoting global common good. This conference will focus on several key topics, including exploring the global mission of world-class universities, evaluating their roles in serving global common good, promoting global talent mobility and collaboration, and enhancing knowledge transformation globally.Amid a shifting global landscape and the pressing challenges of sustainable development, world-class universities are called upon to play a more active and leading role in promoting global common good. This conference will focus on several key topics, including exploring the global mission of world-class universities, evaluating their roles in serving global common good, promoting global talent mobility and collaboration, and enhancing knowledge transformation globally.

Speakers

(The name list is in order of program and is continuously being updated)

Prof. Niancai Liu

Prof. Simon Marginson

Conference Schedule

Program

Preliminary Program2025.11.14-16 (CST, UTC+8), Shanghai, ChinaOnsite Venue: D 200 Lecture Hall, Student Center Building, Minhang Campus, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2025

Time	Topic	Speaker
9:00-18:00	Registration* (*Registration is still available at the venue on 15 November)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2025

Time	Topic	Speaker
9:30-12:00	Welcome to the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Educational Discipline Reconstruction, and the 5th Anniversary of the School of Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Opening Session Moderator: Niancai Liu Distinguished Professor, Director, Center for World-Class Universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
13:30-14:00	Opening Remarks	TBD
Session I: Keynote Speech Moderator: Niancai Liu Distinguished Professor, Director, Center for World-Class Universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
14:00-15:30	Higher Education and Common Good: Reflections on	Simon Marginson Professor of Higher Education, University of Bristol; Professor of Higher Education (emeritus), University of Oxford; Editor-in-Chief, Higher Education
15:30-16:00	Coffee Break
Session II: Roundtable on Global Common Good Moderator: Yuzhuo Cai Professor, Department of Education Policy and Leadership, The Education University of Hong Kong
16:00-17:30	Contributions of World-Class Universities' Knowledge Production and Transfer to Global Common Good	Yifan Huang Xiamen University Xiao Liu Nanjing University Yang Su East China University of Political Science and Law Mosi Weng Zhejiang University of Technology Lili Yang The University of Hong Kong Sen Zhou Peking University
18:30-20:00	Dinner

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2025

Time	Topic	Speaker
Session III: Invited Speech Moderator: Xi Yang Associate Professor, School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
9:00-10:30	Between Global Ambitions and Domestic Constraints: Canadian Research Universities in the 2020s	Creso Sá Distinguished Professor and Vice-Dean, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto; Editor-in-Chief, Studies in Higher Education
	Peer-reviewing for International Journals: 'Crisis', Evolution, and Prospects	Hugo Horta Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong; Editor-in-Chief, Higher Education
	From Entrepreneurial to Sustainable: Reimagining World-Class Universities for the Global Common Good	Yuzhuo Cai Professor, Department of Education Policy and Leadership, and Co-Director, Global Research Institute for Finnish Education, The Education University of Hong Kong
	Q&A for Session III
10:30-11:00	Coffee Break
Session IV: Roundtable on Global Common Good Moderator: Simon Marginson Professor of Higher Education, University of Bristol; Professor of Higher Education (emeritus), University of Oxford；Editor-in-Chief, Higher Education
11:00-12:00	Global Common Good Index of World-Class Universities	Zhuolin Feng Professor and Assistant Dean, School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
12:00-13:30	Lunch
Session V: Invited Speech Moderator: Liyuan Chen Associate Professor, School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
13:30-15:00	Common Goods in East Asian Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Chinese and Japanese Perspectives	Futao Huang Professor, Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University
	From Brain Drain to Brain Circulation: Emerging Trends and Patterns of Chinese Transnational Talent Mobility	Shibao Guo Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary; Honorary Professor, University of Nottingham; Visiting Professor, University of Oxford
	A Necessary Evil? Critical Reflections on the “Inevitability” of Global University Rankings	Peidong Yang Associate Professor, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
	Q&A for Session V
15:00-15:30	Coffee Break
Session VI: Roundtable on Global Common Good Moderator: Futao Huang Professor, Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University
15:30-17:00	Contributions of World-Class Universities' Student and Academic Mobility to Global Common Good	Lilan Chen University of Osaka Huan Li Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Jia Song Shanghai Normal University Lin Tian Hunan University Xinxin Wang Fudan University Jingran Yu Xiamen University
Closing Session Moderator: Xiaowei Hao Assistant Professor, School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
17:00-17:30	Conference Summary	Simon Marginson Professor of Higher Education, University of Bristol; Professor of Higher Education (emeritus), University of Oxford；Editor-in-Chief, Higher Education
	Introduction to the Major Reference Works	Zhuolin Feng Professor and Assistant Dean, School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
	Introduction to the SFEE-5	Xiaofei Zhou Assistant Professor, School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
18:30-20:00	Dinner

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Ms. Wu E-mail: sfee@sjtu.edu.cn

Introduction

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