On October 30, Prof. YANG Yuliang, President of Fudan University, cordially met with Prof. Meng Xiaoli, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, who returned to Fudan, his Alma Mater. Both sides carried out in-depth exchange of ideas on such issues as higher education, General Education, cultivation of faculty and students, and cross-disciplinary research. President YANG Yuliang welcomed Dean MENG Xiaoli’s visit to Fudan, and thanked him for his promotion of the academic exchange and cooperation between Harvard and Fudan. President YANG Yuliang made a detailed introduction to the current development situation of Fudan, internationalization strategy, Fudan Overseas Chinese Research Centers, the development of humanities, history and philosophy in line with international standards, cultivation plans for teachers, and etc. Dean MENG Xiaoli introduced the current situation of graduate education, graduate cultivation mechanism at Harvard, and communication skills training programs for graduates, particularly the newly launched Harvard Horizons Program. Both sides carried out engrossing discussion on a host of issues, such as challenges and solving paths of General Education against the backdrop of globalization. Both sides have similar ideas on how to cultivate future students and young scholars, and enable them to adjust to cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary exchange. Both sides have already started some innovation to put these ideas into practice. President YANG Yuliang expressed the willingness to enhance academic exchange and cooperation with Harvard. Dean MENG Xiaoli thanked the cultivation efforts by Fudan, and showed the willingness to act as a bridge between Fudan and Harvard. In January 2014, Dean MENG and a group of deans from Harvard will visit China, and will carried out in-depth exchange of ideas on such important issues as General Education, online education, cultivation of skills with Fudan scholars. Prof. CHEN Yugang, Deputy Dean of the Graduate School, introduced the development of international programs at the Graduate School, such as Dual Degree Programs for Graduates, Fully-English Taught Master’s Degree and Doctoral Programs, and Fudan Intensive Summer Teaching (FIST) Program. Director ZHU Chouwen of the Foreign Affairs Office introduced the current situation and plans of Fudan Summer School Programs. Professor Margot Gill, Administrative Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard, accompanied Dean Meng’s visit. Dean GUO Kunyu and CPC Secretary of the School Division Hou Liqiang from the School of Mathematical Sciences, heads of relevant departments at Fudan, such as the Graduate School, the Department of Liaison and Development, participated in the meeting. MENG Xiaoli graduated from the Mathematics Department of Fudan in 1978. He was awarded the COPSS Presidents' Award for being “the outstanding statistician under the age of forty (Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies Presidents’ Award, which is the equivalent of a "Nobel Prize in Statistics"). In 2012, he was officially nominated as the permanent dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, the first scholar of Chinese descent to take up the dean of graduate school at world’s top-notch universities. With his promotion and initiative, in 2009, Harvard and Fudan jointly started the annual Harvard-Fudan Summer School Programs, which were well received by students. MENG Xiaoli is very supportive of alumni work. He attended the 12th World Fudan Alumni Conference in Washington DC and delivered the keynote speech. He is also the honorary chairman of Fudan Alumni Association in Boston. After the meeting, Dean MENG Xiaoli and others visited Jiangwan Campus of Fudan. Graduate School Department of Liaison and Development Foreign Affairs Office November 5, 2013 
