East China Normal University facts for kids
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华东师范大学
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| Motto | 求实创造，为人师表 | ||||||
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Motto in English
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Pursue what we have not been taught, and practice what we are going to teach | ||||||
| Type | Public (National) | ||||||
| Established | 1951 | ||||||
| President | Xuhong Qian | ||||||
| Students | 32,000 | ||||||
| Location |
Shanghai
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China
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| Campus | North Zhongshan Rd. Campus (1072.25 acres) Minhang Campus (2071.53 acres) |
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| Colors | Ecnu red | ||||||
| Affiliations | AALAU Yangtze Delta Universities Alliance |
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| Mascot | ECNU Lions | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 华东师范大学 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 華東師範大學 | ||||||
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East China Normal University (ECNU) is a big public university in Shanghai, China. It works closely with China's Ministry of Education. This means it's a very important university for the country. ECNU is part of special national programs like "Project 211" and "Project 985," which help make it a top university.
ECNU was officially started in 1951. It was formed by combining two older universities: Great China University (from 1924) and Kwang Hua University (from 1925). Its history goes back even further to St. John's College, which began in 1879. Today, ECNU has 22 schools and institutes. These are spread across two main campuses in Shanghai: Minhang and Putuo.
Contents
A Look Back: ECNU's Story
How It All Began
The story of East China Normal University starts with St. John's College in 1879. This college was founded by William Jones Boone and Joseph Schereschewsky, who was a bishop in Shanghai. They brought together two existing colleges to create it.
In 1905, St. John's College became St. John's University. It was the first place in China to give out bachelor's degrees, starting in 1907.
Later, in 1925, some students and teachers left St. John's University. They started a new school called Kwang Hua University. This was during a time when many people wanted to support workers and fight against foreign control in China.
Around the same time, in 1924, another university was formed. After some student protests at Xiamen University, some teachers moved to Shanghai. They then started what became the Great China University.
Forming a New University
After the People's Republic of China was founded, East China Normal University was officially created in 1951. It was a merger of the Great China University and Kwang Hua University. Teachers from other famous universities like Fudan University and Tongji University also joined. This made ECNU the first national university in China focused on training teachers. The government wanted to bring these schools together to create a stronger university. Their goal was to train skilled people and help education grow across the country.
In the 1950s, the Chinese government reorganized many universities. This was to create a system similar to what was used in the Soviet Union. As part of this plan, many departments from other universities, including Saint John's University, became part of ECNU. This helped ECNU become a large university with many different subjects.
In 1959, ECNU was chosen as one of China's first 16 "National Key Universities." This important status was confirmed again in 1978. For a period between 1972 and 1980, ECNU was merged with other schools to form "Shanghai Normal University." But in 1980, it went back to its original name.
ECNU from 1980 to Today
In 1986, ECNU was one of the first universities allowed to set up its own graduate schools. In 1996, it became one of the universities supported by "Project 211," a major national program. Then, in 2006, ECNU joined "Project 985," another top program for universities. This showed how important ECNU was becoming.
Today, ECNU is directly managed by the Ministry of Education. The university publishes over 20 academic magazines. Its library has more than 4 million books! ECNU also has 25 schools for younger students that are connected to the university.
Working with Universities Worldwide
ECNU has strong partnerships with many universities around the world. These include famous schools like École Normale Supérieure in France, the University of Pennsylvania in the USA, and the University of Melbourne in Australia. ECNU exchanges ideas and students with over 150 universities in many countries.
- In 2002, French universities like the Ecole Normale Supérieure started a special Master's-PhD program at ECNU in Shanghai.
- In 2007, the EMLYON Business School from France opened its Asia Campus right on ECNU's campus.
- In 2008, Cornell University and ECNU created a joint center for studying different cultures.
- China's first university started with an American partner, New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai), was approved in 2011. It was created by New York University and ECNU.
Study China Programme
ECNU has hosted the "Study China Programme" for many years. This program is funded by the UK government. Students from UK universities come to China for one or two summer months. They study Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture at ECNU. This program helps build stronger connections between UK students and China.
Diplomats' Program
Since 2011, ECNU has also hosted a "Diplomats' Program." Officials from over 20 countries come to ECNU for two months in the summer. They study at the university, learning more about China.
What Students Can Study
ECNU has 24 full-time schools and colleges. It also has 5 advanced research institutes. Students can choose from 79 different undergraduate programs. The university also has three connected schools: NYU Shanghai, Asia-Europe Business School, and the ECNU-UNC School.
Main Schools and Colleges
Here are some of the main schools and colleges at ECNU:
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Economics and Management
- School of Humanities and Social Science
- School of Foreign Languages
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science
- School of Sports and Health
- School of Communication
- School of Art
- School of Design
- School of Urban and Regional Science
- School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences
- School of Geographic Sciences
- School of Life Sciences
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering
- School of Science and Engineering
- School of Information Science and Technology
- School of Computer Science and Software Engineering
- School of Data Science and Engineering
ECNU is also a special training center for principals of secondary schools in China. It's known as the "Whampoa Military Academy" for school principals because it trains top leaders in education.
Research at ECNU
ECNU is a leader in many research areas. It has two "State Key Laboratories." These are very important research centers for China. It also has six "Key Labs or Engineering Centers" and six "Key Research Bases" for studies in humanities and social sciences.
Top Research Labs
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research (studies rivers and coasts)
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy (studies light and materials very precisely)
Key Research Bases in Humanities and Social Science
- Institute of Curriculum and Instruction (studies how to teach and what to teach)
- Institute of Modern Chinese Thought and Culture
- Center for Russian Studies
- Center for the Study of Chinese Characters and Their Applications
- Institute of Schooling Reform and Development
- Center for Modern Chinese City Studies
Joint Research Centers
ECNU also works with international partners on research:
- Cornell-ECNU Center for Comparative Culture
- KUL-ECNU Sino-Euro Culture Research Center
- ECNU-UBC Joint Research Core Group on China in Modern World
- Intercultural Education and Communication Research Center (with Humboldt University of Berlin)
Teachers and Staff
ECNU has over 4,000 staff members. More than 2,000 of them are full-time teachers. This includes over 1,200 professors. Many of ECNU's professors are top experts in their fields. Some are even members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
ECNU Campuses
ECNU has two main campuses in Shanghai. Together, they cover a huge area of over 220 hectares (about 540 acres).
North Zhongshan Road Campus (Putuo Campus)
This campus is in the Putuo District of Shanghai. It used to be the campus for Great China University. It's a beautiful campus with gardens, lawns, and old buildings mixed with new ones. It's located right in downtown Shanghai. This campus still hosts many important research centers.
Minhang Campus
The Minhang campus is newer and much larger. It's located in the Minhang District, on the edge of Shanghai. Most of the university's main offices and many students are at this campus. It's also next to the Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
University Rankings
| BCUR National | Domestic | 29 | |
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| Wu Shulian National | Domestic | 34 | |
| CUAA National | Alumni | =24 | |
| QS National | General | 33 | |
| THE National | General | 21–25 | |
| QS Asia (Asia version) |
General | =94 | |
| THE Asia (Asia version) |
General | =58 | |
| ARWU World | Research | 201–300 | |
| QS World | General | =501 | |
| THE World | General | 301–350 | |
| USNWR World | General | 321 | |
ECNU is often ranked as one of the top universities in mainland China for Education and Training. This is shown in global rankings like the QS World University Rankings by Subjects and Academic Ranking of World Universities by Subjects.
In 2021, the Times Higher Education Rankings by Subjects placed ECNU 37th globally for "Education." This shows how strong the university is in its original purpose of training teachers. ECNU graduates are also highly sought after for jobs, ranking among the top 151-200 worldwide for employability in 2017.
Here are some global rankings for ECNU in 2022:
- Academic Ranking of World Universities: 201–300th globally
- U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Ranking: 321st globally
- Times Higher Education World University Rankings: 301–350th globally
Famous People from ECNU
Alumni (Graduates)
Many successful people have studied at ECNU:
Writers
- Chen Danyan: A well-known writer.
- Ge Fei: A writer and professor at Tsinghua University.
Academics (Scholars and Scientists)
- Yu Lizhong: The Chancellor of New York University Shanghai.
- Xi Nanhua: A member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
- Stephen Cheng: A member of the National Academy of Engineering in the United States.
- Yuan Zhongyi: An Archaeologist famous for his work with the Terracotta Warriors.
In Politics
- Han Zheng: The current Vice President of China.
- Chen Hao: A former Governor of Yunnan province.
In Business and Media
- Jason Jiang: The founder of Focus Media, a big advertising company.
- Dong Qing: A famous television host.
In Sport
- Liu Xiang: A gold medalist in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Notable Faculty Members (Teachers)
- Meng Xiancheng: A famous educator and the first president of ECNU.
- Shen Zhihua: A history professor and expert on the history of the Soviet Union and the Cold War.
- Hu Huanyong: A demographer, known as the founder of China's population geography.
Alumni Associations
ECNU has groups for its graduates to stay connected:
- East China Normal University Alumni Association
- East China Normal University Alumni Association in US
Campus Addresses
- North Zhongshan Road (Putuo) Campus: 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, P.R. China.
- Minhang Campus: 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, P.R. China.
See also
In Spanish: Universidad Normal del Este de China para niños
- No. 1 High School Affiliated to East China Normal University
- No. 2 High School Attached to East China Normal University
- East China Normal University Press
