Introduction to Henan Institute of Science and Technology

Henan Institute of Science and Technology (HIST) is a well-developed provincial university. It originated from the Biology Department of College Division of Yan’an Academy of Natural Sciences, which was founded by Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1939, and has undergone several development stages including the School of Agriculture of Northern University (founded in border areas of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces in 1945), the Agriculture College of North China University (founded in 1948), the Changzhi Branch of the Agriculture College of North China University, the Changzhi Campus of Beijing Agricultural University, Pingyuan Agricultural College, Baiquan Agricultural Institute, and Henan Vocational-Technical Teachers College. Approved by the Ministry of Education, it was renamed to Henan Institute of Science and Technology in May 2004.

Located in Xinxiang City, Henan Province, Central China, it covers an area of 2,478 mu (165.2 ha), with a total floor area of 620,000 square meters. The library in HIST is well equipped with a total of 2.69 million copies of various literature resources, and more than 1,500 kinds of Chinese and foreign periodicals. HIST is the Collaborative Innovation Organization of the National “2011” Plan. It now owns one Henan Collaborative Innovation Center, 25 research institutions of different levels, such as Provincial Key-discipline Open Labs, International United Labs, Engineering Labs and Engineering Technology Research Center, 21 teams of provincial Science and Technology Innovation, Science and Technology Innovation of Henan High Education, and Teaching Staff of Henan High Education, together with 3 postdoctoral research stations and academician workstations. It has key study base of Humanities and Social Sciences of Henan Education Department “Research Center of Vocational and Technical Education and Economic Society Development”. It establishes National Comprehensive Experimental Station for Modern Bee-industry Technology, Provincial Research Center for Modern Cotton-industry Technology. HIST has been identified by Ministry of Education as the first batch of “National Key Training Base for Teachers of Vocational Education”, “National Training Base for teachers of Higher Vocational Education”, and “Sunshine Project” ——Farmer Enterprise Training Base and Agricultural New Technique Training Base of Henan.

In HIST, there are 19 academic schools, consisting of 62 undergraduate majors, covering 9 main discipline classes including agriculture, engineering, education, management, literature, science, economics, law and arts. HIST has 15 key specialties of different levels, such as national key specialties, national comprehensive reform pilot specialties, national training specialties for teachers of vocational education, and key specialties approved by National Reform Program for the Training of Excellent Talents of Agriculture & Forestry, and 23 specialties of Henan Characteristics, famous brand and comprehensive reform pilot. It also has 18 key disciplines both at first-level and second-level in Henan, among which, crop science was awarded as dominant feature discipline. It owns 4 first-level and 21 second-level authorized disciplines of master degree. Besides, it has an adult education college and a privately-run college named Xinke College.

There are more than 54,000 students in HIST, including 34,000 full-time students and 20,000 adult education students, formed the multilevel and multidisciplinary structure which focuses on undergraduate education and together with postgraduate education, higher vocational education and adult higher education. Since the founding of HIST, it has cultivated more than 100,000 thousand professional and technical personnel in different fields, including the Chinese Academy of Engineering Academician Xinyou Zhang, Professor Xingpu Mai, mid-aged science and technological management specialist who has done great contribution to China.

HIST vigorously implements the strategy of “Strengthening University with Talents”, and possesses an excellent teaching staff with a sufficient quantity and reasonable structure. At present, there are more than 1660 staff members, including 1346 full-time teachers. Among these academic teachers, more than 350 are doctor or master supervisors, 6 of them are “Double-employed Academicians”, 1 of them is “Central Plains Scholar”, 26 of them are provincial or college Specially-appointed Professors, 153 of them are professors, 463 of them are associate professors, 450 of them have doctor degrees, 17 of them are young or middle-aged management experts on science and technology, experts with remarkable contributions to China, experts enjoying special allowance of Henan government, or provincial outstanding experts, 12 of them are national model or excellent teachers, 160 of them are provincial famous teachers, leading elites in academic and technology, and provincial young or middle-aged backbone teachers, and 53 of them have obtained programs of provincial invention fund for outstanding talents, provincial science fund for remarkable youth, innovation project for exceptional talents in science and research of Henan high education, and supporting plan for science and technology innovation talents of Henan high education. In addition, more than 70 well-known experts and scholars from home and abroad have been invited as part-time professors or visiting professors, such as Qinguo Zhao, Junyi Gai and Zhuomin Cheng, who are academicians of the Chinese Academy of Science, and Gaiping Zhang, Huanchun Chen, Shuxun Yu, Zongmao Chen and Shunhe Cheng who are academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

HIST emphasizes the “Quality-oriented” strategy, steadily improving the quality of education and teaching. In line with demand in the economic and social development, HIST reforms the teaching materials and curriculum system, integrates theory with practice, stresses the system of practical teaching, and has constructed creatively the influential talent training model “Four-double Program” in China, i.e. “double teacher characters”, “double practical base construction”, “double skill training” and “double certification system”. HIST has implemented new practice model “Double Duty Practice, Replacement Training” for teachers of vocational education, and promotes innovative talent training practice of “specialty + special project + special certificate” and “discipline + major + base + company + farmers (Corporate)”. Since 2001, HIST has accomplished 8 Teaching Reform Projects from the Education Ministry of China, 80 from Henan Province, among which 3 have won national awards and more than 50 provincial ones. By reform and innovation on training mode in HIST, there is a steady improvement in integrating ability with creativity in students. The employment rate of graduates has remained at a high level over 95% in recent years, and more than 95% employers are highly satisfied with graduates.

HIST vigorously implements the strategy of “Strengthening University by Scientific Research”. It has achieved remarkable results in scientific research and technological development. Since the reform and opening up, HIST has completed 3,206 scientific research projects, including international cooperation projects, National Plans 863 and 973, National Natural Science Foundation, Key Projects of Science and Technology, Special Project on Genetically Modified Organisms, etc. There are 1,487 research projects which have been awarded for excellence in scientific and technological achievements, including 2 second-prizes of National Technology Innovation Award, 7 prizes of National Science and Technology Progress Award, and a large number of National Innovation Patents. The High-yield and High-quality wheat known as “Bainong 3217”, has won the second-prize of the National Technology Innovation Award, contributing benefits of 5 billion RMB to economic and social development. New varieties of wheat “Bainong Aikang 58”, “Bainong 207” and new varieties of insect-resistant cotton “No. 1 Baimian” and “Baimian 985” have been approved State New Varieties of Crops. They have been cultivated in large-scale in China, with further cultivation in Kirghizia and other countries in middle Asia. “Bainong Aikang 58” has become the popular wheat variety which has the largest promotion area in Henan Province and Southern Huanghuai Region in 6 consecutive years, with total cultivation acreage above 0.26 billion mu (17.3 million ha) and accumulated total benefits over 20 billion RMB, and it has been won the first-prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2013, which has made outstanding contributions to construction of the core area of national food and economic zone of central plains.

HIST insists on openness. It actively promotes international academic exchanges and cooperation and has set up good relationship with many universities from Germany, Australia, New Zealand, America, Britain, Netherlands, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. in students joint-training of bachelor, master and doctoral degrees, students and teachers exchange, science and technology cooperation, including East Carolina State University of America, University of Canterbury in New Zealand, Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal, Kangwon National University,Ajou University of Korea, Surabaya University, University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszow, Poland, Technical University of Lodz, Poland, etc. HIST also recruits foreign experts from America, Britain or other English speaking countries as full-time teachers.

The achievements of HIST have been widely recognized by all social sectors. In recent years, HIST has been awarded more than 50 honorary titles, includingNational Advanced Unit for University Students Social Practice, Provincial Civilized Unit, Provincial Advanced Unit for College Graduates Employment, Henan Advanced Unit for Teaching Reform, Advanced Unit for Teacher-training, Top-Ten Units for Scientific and Technological Innovation, Demonstration Unit for Digitalized Campus, Demonstration University of Managing the University by Law in Henan, and so on.

In order to improve the quality of education and make the people satisfied with the university, HIST will continue to keep the fine tradition of “Pragmatic, Dedication to the Undertakings” and the school spirit of “Hard Struggle, Self-motivation”. HIST will keep the pace with the times, promote the reform and innovation with more enterprising and vigorous spirit, and try hard to struggle for making the Institute a famous multi-disciplinary teaching and research university in China with more distinctive characteristics of teacher training for vocational education, more prominent advantages in agricultural disciplines, and more influences among similar higher universities.

(Data ends: May 2017)