Xinyang Normal University

Founded in 1975, XYNU was at the time just a sub-college in Xinyang City affiliated to the then Kaifeng Teachers’ College (the present Henan University). In 1978, XYNU was accredited by the State Council of China to enroll students in four-year-degree courses and in the following year became one of the first academic institutions in China entitled to confer BA degrees. In 1998, it was authorized by the Academic Degrees Committee of State Council with the right for awarding MA degrees. Then in years of 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2014, XYNU was further guaranteed the qualification to award MA degrees to applicants with equivalent education background, Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree, Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) and Master of Engineering degrees, Master of Physical Education (MSPE) and Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) degrees, respectively.

 In 2007, XYNU, as one of the top two key undergraduate normal universities in Henan, was appraised as “Excellent University” in the national undergraduate education evaluation by the Ministry of Education, and is meanwhile the only university awarded the title of “National Role Model in Ethical and Cultural Progress” in Henan for three consecutive times. Mr Fei Xiao-tong, the famous social activist and educationist, and also the former Vice Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, praised XYNU as “the cradle of prospective teachers”.

 XYNU, occupying an area of over 1,500 mu and a floor space of 600,000 square meters, exhibits as a provincial model of digital campus that boasts a collection of at least 1,910,000 volumes of books and 4,508 foreign and domestic journals in its two modern libraries, more than 110 laboratories for diverse purposes and over 150 multimedia and microteaching classrooms.

 With 19 colleges, one independent college and three teaching and researching sections directly under the university, XYNU owns the authorities to confer bachelor’s degrees in 65 programs, master’s degrees in nine first-level and 67 second-level disciplines, in all covering nine disciplines of literature, history, natural science, engineering, economics, management, law, education and arts. Moreover, it also possesses seven first-level and three second-level key disciplines at the provincial level.

 Among all the 1,500-odd faculty members in XYNU, at least a third hold a title of professorship (over 140) or associate professorship, more than 900 teachers have master or doctor degrees, and over 100 either enjoys special allowances from the State Council or honorable titles of “Outstanding Expert”, “Distinguished Professor”, “Academic and Technical Leader”, or “Outstanding Teacher” at the provincial level. And in its full-time undergraduate and graduate programs, XYNU now has a total enrollment of 23,000 students from 27 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions throughout China.

 With teaching as its top priority all along, XYNU has three featured specialties and one comprehensive reform experimental specialty at the national level, as well as 13 featured specialties, six comprehensive reform experimental specialties, and one experimental specialty of engineering talent education reform at the provincial level. With seven provincial excellent teaching teams, the university possesses one national and nine provincial excellent resource-shared courses, along with 14 elaborate courses and two bilingual model courses both at the provincial level. Furthermore, XYNU houses seven experiment teaching demonstration centers, one fundamental education research center and one graduate innovation training base, all at the provincial level. Notably, graduates from XYNU ranks rather high in the success ratio in postgraduate entrance examination, and the number for certain majors even exceeds 50%, while the employment rate reaches as high as 95%. Since its founding 40 years ago, XYNU has fostered more than 100,000 talents of various professions, including over 400 national and provincial outstanding teachers like Wang Lixin and a great number of experts and scholars renowned both at home and abroad like Wang Jinan.

 Attaching great importance to scientific research, XYNU has built up a number of research centers and laboratories, including nine research bases and centers for humanistic and social studies or national and local cultures--like the research base for intangible cultural heritage in Henan, three provincial research centers as regards engineering technology, one provincial academician workstation, two provincial open laboratories for major disciplines for institutions of higher learning, and others alike. There are also five provincial innovation-oriented scientific research teams in fields like biomathematics, four teams for scientific innovations in institutions of higher learning in Henan province, and two teams for innovation of philosophical and social science in institutions of higher learning in Henan province. And at the meantime, XYNU pays high attention to cooperation in innovation and has thus established profound partnership with Henan University, Chinese Academy of Forestry, certain administrative departments of Xinyang city, as well as the local enterprises. In addition, from 2006 to 2014, XYNU has undertaken and completed 596 scientific research projects at or above ministerial or provincial levels, including 88 projects initiated and approved by the National Social Sciences Fund, the National Natural Sciences Fund or by commissions or ministries under the administration of the State Council. Apart from the 237 works published, a total of 8,454 academic papers have been issued in academic journals at home and abroad, among which 1,180 have been embodied in such authoritative databases as SCI, EI, ISTP and CSSCI, and meanwhile 2,321 scientific research prizes of different categories have been awarded to the university at or above the prefectural level. Journal of Xinyang Normal University, which is officially published and distributed among over 10 countries and regions, is widely acknowledged--along with its natural science edition--as one of the Chinese core journals, sci-tech core journals and most influential academic journals among all institutions of higher learning in China, while the philosophy and social science edition has been listed among the top 100 journals in philosophy and social sciences in China, and as one of China’s core journals of humanistic and social sciences as well as a first-class journal in Henan province.

In purchase of openness and inclusiveness, XYNU has forged friendly ties with colleges and universities in the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Italy, Israel and other countries. While sending students to further education in countries like the U.S., UK and Singapore, it has also received many foreign students from the U.S., Korea, Japan, Madagascar, etc.

Laying profound emphasis on Party construction as well as ideological and political work, XYNU has been exerting great efforts on its cultural and ethical progress. As a result, a number of honorable awards have been granted, such as the national role model in ethical and cultural progress, advanced unit for high rate of graduates’ employment among China’s institutions of higher learning, etc. Noteworthily, XYNU has been listed as a model university for students’ social activities during vacation-time in China for 13 consecutive years. And after being selected as the most ideal university by college entrance examination candidates in Henan in 2010, it was rated as an advanced university for its high quality of education and outstanding employment competitiveness, respectively in 2013 and 2014.

 For 40 years since its foundation, in light of the spirit of “Diligence, Integrity, and Practicality”, XYNU has been committed to cultivating innovative and pragmatic talents with high professionalism and moral characters in both educational and other fields. And based on the present inviting campus environment, fine school spirit, and good teaching quality, XYNU will continue its endeavors for an optimal education quality, school-running level and overall efficiency, and steadfastly sail toward a teaching-research-oriented normal university featuring prominent teacher education and coordinated multi-disciplinary development.