China’s prestigious Tsinghua University has appointed a foreign professor as vice director for the first time since the country’s reform and opening-up four decades earlier.
American David P. Zupko was appointed vice director of the Tsinghua University International Cooperation and Exchange Office (ICEO) in June, according to the university’s WeChat account.
The ICEO oversees drafting and planning international cooperation and exchange policies. Previously with the school as an education policy adviser, Zupko now joins other Chinese professors in implementing Tsinghua University’s global strategy.
The move is part of Tsinghua’s efforts to reform its staffing system and recruit foreign management, columnist Tao Duanfang wrote for The Beijing News.
However, Tsinghua’s decision to promote Zupko is an exception, wrote Tao. Over the years, Chinese colleges and universities have hired research-oriented foreign professors without giving much thought to improving their administration. Among other duties, administrators coordinate relationships with investors, teaching staff and school owners, and work to maximize their resources, cooperate with schools in other countries.
Chinese universities still have a long way to go in these aspects which unless addressed will only hinder their international standing, Tao wrote.
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