On June 11, the 2023 East China Normal University MEM “Dean Face to Face” activity jointly hosted by ECNU Shanghai International School of Chief Technology Officer (hereinafter referred to as “CTO School”) and China MEM Education Network was successfully held online.
Prof. He Jiaxun, Chinese Dean of the Asia Europe Business School, Executive Dean of CTO School and professor and doctoral supervisor of ECNU, shared and communicated with the audience in real time about the training concept, training system and course features that everyone was concerned about. He also officially announced the launch of the enrollment for MEM degree programs, such as the management education to address major challenges: ECNU chief technology officer direction, emergency technology and management direction and major project management direction.
The MEM program of ECNU for the CTO direction was added on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of ECNU and it is the world's first degree training program for CTOs. Professor He Jiaxun said that the birth of the MEM program at ECNU can be attributed to “the gift of the times,” “academician gene” and “educator's aspiration.” In the context of China's technological innovation-led development, there is a need for a large number of CTOs and technology-based strategic entrepreneurs who know both technology and management and who have both the entrepreneurial spirit and scientific expertise. The CTO School, founded under the leadership of Qian Xuhong, academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, President of ECNU and Chairman of CTO School Council, realizes the social value of science and technology through the collaborative transformation of people and technology,” upholds the core value of “Innovation changes the world,” solves the “last mile” of the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and promotes industrial transformation and upgrading. Academician Qian Xuhong pointed out in an interview with Educator that talent cultivation and education quality should support the country’s demand for innovation. The MEM degree education of ECNU exactly connects the national strategy and supports the national demand and development for innovation through innovative educational concepts and systems.
Prof. He Jiaxun introduced that, as an emerging program, the MEM program of ECNU, on the one hand, aims at the cultivation of senior executives and future executives, which is different from the conventional master's program cultivation. It aims at cultivating leadership talents with entrepreneurial spirit from the level beyond manager education and emphasizes the shaping of the pattern of executives. On the other hand, it is oriented to tackle or resolve major social problems and risks and cultivate senior management talents to deal with major challenges. Facing the four major challenges of the current era worldwide, Professor He Jiaxun especially proposed “Management education to address major challenges,” advocated returning to the nature of management and management education, practicing the mission of education, civilization and development of ECNU, actively responding to the world changes and serving the needs of the country.
In this regard, Professor He Jiaxun proposed three new concepts about how to address the major challenges and achieve the innovative reform of management education. The first is “new thinking,” which shifts from the traditional subject-specific and function-oriented education to cross-departmental and cross-functional collaborative education to cultivate the ability and thinking of senior executives in the field of technology. The second is the “new pattern,” which aims to establish a high stance and a high pattern from the education of mission and values, train students to build a strong sense of mission and social responsibility, realize the social value of science and technology and make due value contributions to society and human development. The third is the “new program,” aiming to cultivate chief technology officers and senior managers who have both technical know-how and the engineering ability, as well as market operations and strategic vision, creativity and innovative thinking facing major challenges. The MEM degree is newly added with the chief technology officer direction, the emergency technology and management direction and the major project management direction.
Finally, Prof. He Jiaxun said, “Chief technology officer was thought to be top managers responsible for the company's technical matters at the early stage, but in the new age, the post of chief technology officer is added with new connotation and development, required to achieve collaboration in technology vision and corporate strategy, between technology decomposition and integration and between technology and management functions. The goal of the MEM program of ECNU is to help students form comprehensive changes and breakthroughs and achieve career advancement in five aspects: inspiring the sense of mission, changing the pattern of thinking, improving business expertise, strengthening innovative leadership and shaping globalization ability, based on a new understanding of the chief technology officer.
During the release of the new program, Prof. He Jiaxun gave a comprehensive explanation of the MEM program's training philosophy, curriculum system, training direction, advantages and characteristics and faculty strength. He pointed out that the CTO School, the entity teaching and research institution of ECNU, is responsible for the recruitment and cultivation of the professional Master of Engineering Management (MEM) degree of ECNU. The talent cultivating spirit is to cultivate the future CTO senior talents and emergency and major project management talents in the program of Master of Engineering Management through the T3 pyramid outstanding educational logic and unique “4 + X” new curriculum system by combining technology and management, integrating technology and commercialization, and blending the “spirit of scientists” and “entrepreneurial spirit.”
According to the introduction of Prof. He Jiaxun, the school currently sets three major directions: Chief Technology Officer, Emergency Technology and Management and Major Project Management. The CTO is oriented for science and technology innovation industries and enterprises, including the advanced class and the elite class. The training objectives and achievements are to contribute to the demand for senior talents in China's science and technology innovation development strategy, focusing on artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, biomedicine and several strategic emerging industries. The direction of emergency technology and management and the direction of major project management are oriented to the government and public administration departments. The training objectives and achievements are to contribute to tackling or resolving the demand for senior talents for major social problems and risks, focusing on the fields of public health, government management and industry organizations.
At last, Prof. He Jiaxun emphasized that ECNU MEM program is committed to “realizing the social value of science and technology through the collaborative transformation of human and technology,” helping students find a higher meaning of their career and life development in the current era and achieving the cultivation of people's all-round development. Examinees are welcome to actively register for the school.
At this point, the 2023 East China Normal University MEM admission explanation session comes to a successful conclusion. I expect you to seize the opportunity and I look forward to seeing you at ECNU MEM at an early date to change your thinking, achieve career advancement and embrace your infinite future together!