Beijing Forestry University
Beijing Forestry University (Chinese: 北京林业大学; pinyin: Běijīng Línyè Dàxué, BFU) is a multi-disciplinary university under the administration of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. As one of the key national universities under the Ministry of Education, the university provides advanced education in the fields of forestry, Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, ecology and environmental studies. It was one of the first universities to be admitted into the 211 Project (a major project sponsored and funded by the government for the construction of the top 100 universities in China during the 21st century) and the 21st-century Educational Vitalization Action Program.[1] [2][3]
History
Located in the Zhong Guan Cun Hi-Tech Zone, BFU was originally the forestry department of the Royal University (the predecessor of Peking University) during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). After BFU was founded in 1952, a number of distinguished experts and professors from Peking University, Tsinghua University and Beijing Agriculture University were transferred to the school (which has influenced its academic discipline). Decades of effort have made BFU a comprehensive university with programs in forestry, environmental science and biology, with multidisciplinary programs in the sciences, engineering, management, economics, law, liberal arts and agriculture.
After entering the 211 Project in 1995, BFU reached the standard set by the municipal government for the beautification of campuses in 1996 and won the title of "Campus as Beautiful as Gardens in Beijing" five years later. In 2000 it established a graduate school (the only one among forestry universities and colleges in China) and a stock company in science and technology.[citation needed] As a key institution of higher education in China, BFU is the cradle of professionals specializing in advanced multidisciplinary technology (including forestry, soil and water conservation, landscape architecture, biotechnology and economic management.
Faculty
Since its establishment over 50 years ago, more than 30,000 Chinese and a number of foreign students have graduated from the university; of that number, 11 have attained the position of academician. The university faculty consists of 956 full-time teachers, including 5 academicians and 496 full and associate professors. While upholding traditional disciplines, the university has also established a large number of new disciplines to meet society's needs. The university consists of 15 schools; the graduate school, biological science and technology, landscape architecture, forestry, environmental science and engineering, soil and water conservation, industry, information science, material science and technology, science, conservation, economic management, humanities and social sciences, foreign languages, vocational training and continuing education.
The university features a computer center, a computer network center, an educational center, an audio-visual teaching center, a biological center, a micro-technology center, a forest-organism center and a tree farm for teaching and research (the Jiu Feng National Forest Park). Attached to the university are the Foreign-Language Training Center of the State Forestry Administration, the Research Center of Soil Control Technology of Loess Plateau in China and the Training Center of Desertification Control of China. BFU is a well-equipped institution, featuring the Central Building of Teaching, a gymnasium, laboratories and a high-speed campus network. A computerized checking system exists for library books, and also in the library building is the Imported Teaching Materials Center for forestry universities and colleges nationwide. Construction of a high-rise student apartment building and a new classroom building was completed in 2001.
In recent years, nearly 200 discoveries in scientific research received awards from national, provincial and ministerial authorities, and more than 20 achievements of teaching were rewarded by the national and municipal governments. BFU is engaged in international academic exchanges and cooperation with more than 150 universities and research institutions in over 20 countries, providing opportunities for contacts between China and the outside world in the fields of forestry and environmental studies.
BFU provides an atmosphere for teaching and learning, combining the acquisition of professional knowledge with improvement of all-round abilities (with an emphasis on forging a rigorous, creative academic style). Systems of optional courses, subsidiary courses, course exemption and bachelor-to-master continuing education have been established so students may develop according to their own interests and desires. The university also offers extracurricular activities to enrich campus life; these are organized by student societies and associations in fields including science and technology, art, sports, environmental protection and politics. Some groups have become influential, including the Society of Scientific Exploration and Wilderness Survival and the Association of Beijing College Volunteers for Environmental Protection. The former received the Prize of the Earth, the top prize from the National Bureau of Environmental Protection. In recent years, BFU students of BFU won four consecutive prizes at the College Students' Landscape Gardening Architecture Design Competitions (sponsored by UNESCO and the International Association of Landscape Gardening Architects), the Golden Prize in International College Students' Architecture Design and prizes in garden-design competitions. Achievements were also earned in domestic competitions for scientific inventions, mathematics and art.
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