Universities discuss publishing house reform
A conference on building a world-class university press was held at Tongji University on Friday.
China is trying to raise its universities to the world-class level.
Wu Shulin, former deputy director of State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said it is a good time for publishing houses at universities as China plans to be a strong power in publishing to promote the country’s competitiveness in science and technology and its soft cultural power.
“China is seeing fast growth in scientific research achievements, providing more and more content for publications,” he said.
World-class institutions should have famous presses and publish world-class academic publications, he said.
Wu called on university presses to use technology to update their concepts, management models, communication approaches and systems.
Hua Chunrong, president of Tongji University Press, said his house was focusing on the university's strengths, building a brand of “City+” for publications featuring urban architecture, planning and design. It will also build a digital platform on urban infrastructure to support academic development.
Presidents of presses at other universities, including Nanjing, Zhejiang and Shanghai Jiao Tong, also shared their views at the conference.