From July 5th to July 7th, the 2019 Global Competence Forum for Young Elites was held in Xidian University (XDU). Famous scholars and 350 young elites from over 30 universities in 15 countries gathered together in Xi’an and shared the thoughts on youth’s global competence.
Allen Sun, an MBA student and graduate assistant for the office of China Programs, represented Missouri State at the Forum. He was one of only 22 awardees have won full sponsorship. The sponsorship covered the awardees’ fees of domestic transportation after landing in China, food and drink, accommodation and cultural experiences during the Forum.
On July 6th, the forum was unveiled. Zongkai Yang, President of XDU attended the forum and delivered an opening speech. Prof. Deren Li, member of both Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Dr. Bo Peng, Director of the CAS key laboratory of FAST, and Prof. Karen M. von Deneen delivered keynote speeches.
Allen Sun, as one of the speakers of sub-forum – The Education comparison between China and Foreign Countries. His presentation compared China and the US, using Missouri State as a primary example. He introduced the importance of ethical leadership, cultural competence, and critical thinking, and explained how to develop students’ ability in these areas. He presented that as young elite and global citizen, he feels obliged to build the concept of a global village on the premise of enriching our own competence. As the representative of panel speeches, Allen reported on the results of the discussion. He reported that the young elites and global leaders have the responsibility to bridge the gap between cultures by combining the strengths of different education systems. Above all, we should work together to make our global village more diverse, cohesive and culturally reflective so that we can have a truly peaceful global community.
The young elites issued the Declaration of Global Competence 2019 as an outcome of the Forum in the closing ceremony. This Forum for Young Elites is designed to promote students’ practical abilities, deepen innovation and entrepreneurship education, expand students’ global vision, and help enhance their global competence. The forum has been widely reported by many domestic media, such as Yangguang.com, China Daily, China Education News Network, Shenzhou Scholars, China Youth Daily, China Youth Online and other well-known media.