12 2007 - 10 19-21 Asia Link) 10 20-21 2007 27 19 Prof. Dr. Wan Gang, the outgoing president of Tongji University, was nominated science minister one month before the university’s centennial celebration, being the first cabinet minister from a non-Communist party since the late 1970s. Prof. Wan succeeded in making a career in both countries, <strong>China</strong> and Germany. His new post is an important signal not only to Tongji University, which is seeking recognition for its internationalization, but moreover for the many Chinese studying in , , 2007 - Study in Europe - Megashow in Beijing www. ehef-beijing.org.cn 2007 - (European Higher Education Fairs, EHEF) 2006-2008 , (CampusFrance) (DAAD) (Nuffic) (British Council) . , , EHEF Project Office DAAD Office Beijing Tel.: +86-10-6590 6115 Web: www.ehef-beijing.org.cn (Liu Xin) Prof. Dr. Wan Gang Nominated New Science Minister Dr. Christian Bode, Secretary General of DAAD, presenting a symbolic tree to Prof. Wan Gang, Science Minister of <strong>China</strong>, President of Tongji University on occasion of the centenary of Tongji University. Foto: Anja Feldmann Germany and other countries. The Financial Times regards the nomination as a significant message to overseas returnees who have struggled in official positions without the deep connections won through years of networking in government and party and who are often resented by colleagues without international experience. “Mr Wan’s overseas curriculum vitae would probably disqualify him from serving in a large ministry, but he has a superb technological pedigree to hold the science portfolio and further <strong>China</strong>’s efforts to build a home-grown, technologically independent car industry,” concludes the FT. Being a Tongji graduate in mechanical engineering, the now 54 year old finished his PHD at the TU Clausthal under the guidance of Prof. Peter Dietz, before he went to the automobile company Audi AG in Ingolstadt. Dietz remembers Wan’s hospitality as a member of the German as well as the growing Chinese academic community in Clausthal. At Audi Wan Gang was swiftly rising in the ranks as a technology and production manager and in his spare time started tutoring his own PHD students. Tongji keeps an eye on its alumni. Professor Wu Qidi, his predecessor as Tongji president and now vice minister of education responsible for professional training, started sounding him out on the prospects of developing Tongji into a center for automotive engineering. Then-president Li Guohao convinced Wan to join the Tongji faculty. When Wan Gang returned to <strong>China</strong> in 2000, the Chinese German University College for Postgraduate Studies (Chinesisch- Deutsches Hochschulkolleg), founded by Tongji and DAAD in 1998, was his starting base for research in automotive engineering and innovative transportation. His proposition to the State Council to develop a new type of automobile received much acclaim. By the end of 2000, Wan was appointed as Chief Scientist for the 863 special research program of electric vehicles by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). After a brief period as vice president, he has served as president of Tongji University since 2004 . (Anja Feldmann) DAAD <strong>China</strong> <strong>Info</strong> 1/2007
DAAD <strong>China</strong> <strong>Info</strong> 1/2007
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