Dean’s Message

As our university anthem goes, “by the coast of the Bohai Sea, at the bank of the Haihe River, rises the grand campus of Nankai.”The centennially renowned Nankai University (NKU) is the alma mater of the beloved late Premier Zhou Enlai. For generations of students, NKU has always been the cradle of great ideas and ambitions. NKU established its economics disciplines in 1923 and the School of Economics in 1931. School of Economics is among the first Chinese institutes that train economic talents and conduct economic research. After wanes and waxes, School of Economics has created invaluable legacies. Dr. He Lian, School of Economics’ first dean, advocated, “Economics should be articulated with China's national conditions”; “Research is conducive to teaching”; and “Only through teaching can we make continuous progress in research”. As a result, School of Economics has always integrated teaching with research, and advocated the Sinicization of economics. From the survey of China’s industrialization progress to the compilation of the Nankai Price Indices, numerous original achievements in teaching and research have been hard-earned and gained global recognition. Generations of Nankai economists have contributed greatly in their respective positions to the country's economic development and talent education. Since the reform and opening up, economic disciplines at NKU began to embrace a renaissance. To this day, School of Economics has grown to be a teaching and research institute featuring a complete set of majors and disciplines, a well-structured team of teaching staff, and a variety of academic degrees. Every year, School of Economics proudly receives a large number of talented and ambitious young people from across the country. School of Economics cherishes NKU’s educational traditions, examines personal integrity, and synchronizes the co-development of knowledge, competency and attainment. School of Economics graduates are known for their solid skills, conscientious conducts, impressive execution, teamwork awareness, and pioneering spirit; they are highly recognized by the community. Every year, besides multi-level education available for bachelors, masters, doctorates and post-doctorates, School of Economics provides EMBA and other advanced economics programs for veteran practitioners from the government departments, research institutions, and well-known enterprises. Academically, School of Economics emphasizes rigorousness, pragmatism, realism, and innovation. It has developed a number of academic and research centers that have strong domestic and international presence. In the early days of reform and opening up, School of Economics pioneered a Sino-Canadian joint training program for master and doctoral students, creating the Nankai-York Mode. Working with the Society of Actuaries, School of Economics established China’s first internationally recognized actuary examination center. At present, School of Economics has joined hands with eminent colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and other countries, in the effort to provide exchange programs and joint education programs for undergraduates and master students. School of Economics upholds NKU’s motto, “take responsibilities; develop competences; bring about new changes with each passing day”, and carries on the proud tradition of “patriotism, dedication, innovation and teamwork”. School of Economics invigorates its talents by following an internationalized strategy. It is dedicated to quality education and research innovation. By training talents and providing intellectual support, School of Economics contributes to the development of the Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA) and boosts the regional economy. The School has made it its mission to create a congenial atmosphere, make academic breakthroughs, and develop social elites. School of Economics will strive to be an economic talent training base, a scientific research innovation center, an international academic exchanges base, and a China’s economic reform and development think tank, all in the pursuit of establishing a first-class Chinese institute with strong international presence.