On the morning of September 20, 2014, Working Meeting & Enlarged Council Meeting of Shanghai Public Affairs Research Council 2014 was launched at the Academic Exchange Center, SUFE. The meeting was attended by President of the Council Professor Zhu Qianwei, Vice President Professor Shang Hongri, Professor Zhou Xianghong, Professor Zeng Jimao, Secretary-General Professor Gu Limei, other council members, as well as over 20 leaders and teachers from Shanghai MPA training institutions. Jiang Youfen, vice director of Shanghai Academic Degrees Committee, Bai Yu from the Office of Shanghai Academic Degrees Committee and Wang Yu, vice director of Administration Office, Shanghai Social Union also attended the meeting at invitation. 
 

   The meeting was hosted by Gu Limei, secretary-general of the council and professor of the school of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University. She first of all introduced the leaders and council members present at the meeting. Then, Shen Hui, director of the School of Public Economics and Administration, SUFE, made a welcome speech to participants on behalf of the meeting’s organizer. Afterwards, Zhu Qianwei, president of the council, professor of the school of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, and member of the National Steering Committee on MPA Education, introduced in detail the composition, function and operating mechanism of the National Steering Committee on MPA Education. After him, Jiang Youfen, vice director of Office of Shanghai Academic Degrees Committee, briefly talked about professional degree education in Shanghai and explained the concepts and reasons for the development of Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education on behalf of Professor Shu Jinlong, director of the office.

    The meeting mainly focused on 3 topics: a) setting of chairman and vice chairman, b) whether and how to employ experts from substantive departments to be members of the Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education, c) discussion about the proposed draft charter of the committee.

    Regarding the setting of chairman and vice chairman, Vice President of Shanghai Public Affairs Research Council Shang Hongri, Zhou Xianghong and Zeng Jimao, council member Professor Zhang Yongqing and Professor Che Liping, etc. explicitly stated that first consideration may be given to experts from the first group of 4 MPA training institutions. Currently, it’s appropriate that experts from Fudan University take the roles of Chairman and Secretary-General.

  Shanghai Public Affairs Research Council member associate professor Zhang Liang and Li Jianzhong, etc. believed it’s quite necessary to employ experts from substantive departments to be members of the Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education. Council member professor Zhang Yongqing suggested that leaders from the Organization Department, Human Resources and Social Council and National Civil Service Bureau may be employed in reference to the National Steering Committee on MPA Education. Tao Dongming, director of the MPA Center, Fudan University, pointed out the National Civil Service Bureau had employed 4 people from Shanghai as part-time teachers of public administration education departments and that they might consider them as candidates. All participants agreed that’s a feasible way. 

     Additionally, participants had a detailed discussion about the specific terms of the charter. Doctor Liu Changqing, director of the MPA Center Office, East China University of Political Science provided several specific suggestions on behalf of Professor Zhang Mingjun, president of the School of Politics and Public Administration, East China University of Political Science. First, whether the charter needs to specify the relationship between the Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education and the National Steering Committee on MPA Education. Second, Article 8 on the second page of the charter stated, “A working meeting may be held at any time with the approval of chairman and vice chairman.” The wording is not precise enough. It may be more appropriate to change it as “with the approval of 1/2 or 1/3 of chairman and vice chairman. Third, regarding responsibilities in (6) under Article 9, the content may be changed to “selecting and publishing outstanding papers and cases”, which is of greater significance in providing teaching guidance to institutions. Liu Jiping, party branch secretary of the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University made three suggestions. First, experts take the role of chairman as individuals not organizations. Second, as for the relationship between the Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education and the Shanghai Public Affairs Research Council, the latter is a private organization while the former has certain authority. Third, as a participating platform, the Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education should accommodate all MPA training institutions of Shanghai as much as possible. Associate Professor Zhang Xiaoyi, vice president of the School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Associate Professor Li Jianzhong, director of the MPA Center, Shanghai Normal University, Wang Yu, vice director of Administration Office, Shanghai Social Union also gave specific modification suggestions about the charter.  

    The participants reached a consensus about the establishment of Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education and all universities expressed that they would actively support the work of the committee. Hopefully, Shanghai Steering Committee on MPA Education will promote the long-term development of Shanghai’s MPA education.