Introduction

A key multidisciplinary university directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Nankai University is also the alma mater of our beloved late Premier Zhou Enlai. It has long been given much attention by the central government. Chinese top leaders from Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai to President Jiang Zemin all were at Nankai University for inspection. Chairman Mao wrote the name for Nankai University while President Jiang Zemin inscribed the following remarks: A glorious tradition to promote patriotism, dedication, creativity, love of the community, all to build a first-rate socialist university.

Nankai University now occupies an area of 1,480,000 m2 with a floor space up to 1,000,000 m2.The total collection of the university library reaches over 3,000,000 volumes. Besides its main campus located in Balitai, Nankai University also has campuses in Yingshui Road, TEDA College in Tianjin Economic Development Area, Binhai College in Dagang District, Financial Engineering College in the city of Shenzhen and a Graduate School in Yunnan Province, which reasonably form a multi-campuses pattern for comprehensive development.

Nankai University is considered a comprehensive university with a complete curriculum that includes the humanities, natural sciences, technology, life sciences, medical sciences and the arts. The University believes in the equal importance of the sciences and the liberal arts, laying a strong foundation with practical and creative characteristics. The University has 19 faculties, including a Graduate School, China APEC Institute, School for Continuing Education, Advanced Vocational School and Modern Distance Education School. Nankai University offers 68 undergraduate specialties, 158 Master programs, 98 Doctoral programs, 17 Post-Doctoral research stations and 12 authorized basic specialties. Besides, there are 18 national key specialties, 13 provincial and municipal key specialties, 2 national key labs, 4 provincial and municipal key labs, 1 national engineering center, 8 national bases for basic science research and talents cultivation, 1 base for cultural quality education and 4 key research bases for humanities and social sciences. The University has been active in structuring disciplines to meet the demands of producing talents and 21st economic development and social progress.

Nankai University has a complete education system for producing undergraduates, postgraduates on master and doctoral programs and post-doctoral researchers. Currently, the university has the total enrollments of 27,869 students, including 11,859 undergraduate students, 573 two-year program undergraduate students, 5,623 master candidates, 1,956 doctoral candidates, 859 foreign students, 7,858 part-time students for Master degree and 4,408 students on distance education program, 135 post-doctoral researchers.