Shanxi Agricultural University

Shanxi Agricultural University (Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences) is a famous agricultural university in my country, an excellent university in the undergraduate teaching evaluation of the Ministry of Education, a university jointly established by the Shanxi Provincial Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, one of the first national demonstration universities for deepening innovation and entrepreneurship education reform, and a university selected for the national basic capacity construction in the central and western regions. The current party secretary is Liao Yuncheng and the president (dean) is Zhang Qiang.

Carrying on the century-old flame, developing and creating a new chapter. Shanxi Agricultural University was founded as the private Mingxian School founded in 1907, and later developed into the private Mingxian Agricultural and Industrial College and the private Mingxian College; in 1951, it was changed from private to public and Shanxi Agricultural College was established; in 1979, it was renamed Shanxi Agricultural University and became one of the 99 key universities in the country at the beginning of reform and opening up. In the course of more than 100 years of development, a large number of outstanding talents have emerged in the school, including Zhang Weichen, the earliest Communist Party member in Jinzhong, and other revolutionary heroes; Tan Shaowen, Zheng Shekui and other leading cadres at all levels; seven academicians such as Zheng Zhemin, Zhuang Wenying, and Gao Fu; famous professors and experts such as Wang Shou, Zhang Longzhi, and Xu Jintang; and tens of thousands of grassroots cadres and agricultural technicians who are rooted in the grassroots and serve the "three rural issues". Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences is the main force of agricultural scientific research in Shanxi and an important force in agricultural technology extension services. Since its establishment, a group of agricultural scientists represented by Niu Tiantang and Chen Ying have successively bred the country's first high-yield dwarf sorghum hybrid Jinza No. 5, the country's first insect-resistant cotton variety Jinmian No. 26, the world's first castor three-line hybrid Jincastor No. 2, as well as high-quality and high-yield varieties Jingu No. 21, Jinmai No. 47, early green generation zucchini, Yulu Xiangli and other new varieties, making significant contributions to the development of agriculture in Shanxi and even the whole country. In October 2019, the provincial party committee and government decided to merge Shanxi Agricultural University and Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences to form a new Shanxi Agricultural University, focusing on the overall reform and development of higher education and agricultural scientific research in Shanxi Province. Since the merger reform, the school has implemented a package of major reform measures such as the "big department system", integrated resources, optimized the layout, and took a new step in reform and development.

Complete disciplines and distinct characteristics and advantages. The school (institute) currently has two campuses, Taigu Campus and Taiyuan Longcheng Campus, as well as research institutions throughout the province, including 21 teaching units and 16 directly affiliated scientific research institutes (centers). There are currently 8 postdoctoral research stations, 9 first-level disciplines authorized to confer doctoral degrees, and 1 doctoral professional degree authorization category; 14 first-level disciplines authorized to confer master's degrees, and 7 master's professional degree authorization categories. Disciplines and majors cover 8 categories including agronomy, science, engineering, economics, management, literature, law, and art, with 69 undergraduate majors. A discipline system has been initially established with agricultural science as the core, extending to upstream biological disciplines and downstream food disciplines in both directions, and supported by other related disciplines. There is currently one national key (cultivation) discipline of animal genetics, breeding and reproduction, and nine provincial key disciplines, including agricultural engineering, crop science, horticulture, agricultural resources and environment, plant protection, animal husbandry, veterinary science, forestry, and grassland science. The two disciplines of botany and zoology and agricultural science are among the top 1% in the world of ESI.

Experts and famous teachers gather together, and the faculty is strong. The school (institute) adheres to the implementation of the strategy of "talent priority, talent-strengthening school", providing strong talent support for the cause of reform and development. There are 4,495 teachers, scientific researchers and employees, including 471 senior professional and technical personnel, 1,232 deputy senior professional and technical personnel, 121 doctoral supervisors, and 869 master's supervisors. There are 1 academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, 1 distinguished professor of the "Changjiang Scholars", 2 winners of the "National Outstanding Young Scientist Fund", 4 national candidates of the Hundred Thousand Talents Project, 3 selected candidates of the "New Century Excellent Talents Support Program" of the Ministry of Education, 1 member of the Discipline Evaluation Group of the State Council Academic Degree Committee, 9 experts with outstanding contributions to the country, 83 people enjoying special government allowances, 19 post scientists of the National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System, 2 outstanding talents in agricultural scientific research of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 7 "Young Shanxi Scholars", 8 provincial young top talents, 63 provincial academic and technical leaders, and 6 provincial science and technology heroes. There is 1 national teaching master, 3 national outstanding teachers, 11 members of the Higher Education Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education, 2 national forestry and grassland teaching masters, and 29 provincial teaching masters.

Adhere to the moral education of people, and all kinds of talents emerge. The school (college) currently has more than 27,000 students, including 23,928 undergraduates and 3,380 master and doctoral students. There is currently one Huang Danian-style teacher team in national universities, one national teaching team, 12 national first-class undergraduate professional construction sites, 5 national characteristic professional construction sites, 2 national quality courses, 1 national quality resource sharing course, 3 national experimental teaching demonstration centers, and 1 national off-campus practical education base for college students. Since its establishment, it has trained more than 150,000 talents of all kinds, all over the country, in all walks of life, and has made important contributions to the economic and social development of Shanxi and even the whole country. In recent years, the school has vigorously promoted education and teaching reforms, and has won 2 second prizes for national teaching achievements, more than 100 provincial and ministerial teaching achievement awards and above, and more than 200 provincial and ministerial awards and above in competitions such as the "Challenge Cup". It has opened undergraduate and master's degree coordinated training experimental classes, outstanding talent experimental classes, and innovation and entrepreneurship pioneer classes, and a group of outstanding students have emerged, represented by Jiang Libin, the first "Chinese College Student of the Year" in the province. The school (institute) actively promotes foreign cooperation and exchanges, and has a history of cooperation with Oberlin College in the United States for more than 100 years; it has established cooperative relations with more than 100 universities in the United States, Britain, Australia, Russia, Thailand and other countries and regions; it has carried out joint training programs with well-known universities such as the University of California, Davis, Massey University in New Zealand and Auckland University of Technology; students from Nepal, Iran, Pakistan and other countries come to the school to study for degrees.

Innovation drives development and has fruitful scientific research results. The school firmly establishes the development concept of "innovation first", creates a first-class innovation ecology, and enhances scientific and technological innovation capabilities. At present, relying on the school (institute), the National Sorghum Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, Shanxi Jinzhong (Taigu) National Science and Technology Special Envoy Entrepreneurship Training Base, Shanxi Edible Fungi Industry National Science and Technology Special Envoy Entrepreneurship Chain, Eastern Loess Plateau Dryland Water Saving Technology National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory, Degraded Soil Improvement and New Fertilizer Research and Development National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center, Horticultural Plant Detoxification and Breeding Technology National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center, Loess Plateau Specialty Crops High-quality and Efficient Production Provincial and Ministerial Co-construction Collaborative Innovation Center and other 7 national platforms, National Functional Cereals Technology Innovation Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Discipline Key Laboratory, Provincial Key Laboratory, Provincial "1331 Project" Innovation Platform and other provincial and ministerial platforms (bases, qualifications) 148. Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Shanxi Province Science and Technology Innovation Team 25. Since the 13th Five-Year Plan, the university has won 3 second prizes in the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 16 first prizes at the provincial and ministerial levels, and 76 second prizes; it has obtained 43 national approved (appraised) varieties, 355 provincial approved (approved) varieties, 2 national standards, 3 industry standards, 358 local standards, and 58 national new plant variety rights. It hosts 8 professional journals including the Journal of Shanxi Agricultural University (Natural Science Edition).

Leading by science and technology demonstration, serving the construction of the Agricultural Valley. Since the implementation of the Shanxi "Agricultural Valley" strategy, the school (institute) has played its own disciplinary advantages, talent advantages, and scientific research advantages, and has established scientific research platforms such as "three institutes and five centers", bringing together a group of high-end talents in the field of functional agriculture (food), focusing on major scientific research projects in the fields of organic dryland agriculture, functional agriculture (food), etc., and forming a number of landmark and innovative scientific research results. In 2019, the Jinzhong National Agricultural High-tech Zone was approved for construction. The school (institute) further integrated the resources of the institute, innovated the integration mechanism, and actively served the Jinzhong National Agricultural High-tech Zone (Shanxi Agricultural Valley) to become a first-class modern agricultural innovation highland, industrial highland, open highland, talent highland and rural reform pilot zone in China. The school (institute) adheres to the concept of "writing papers in the fields and spreading science and technology in Shanxi", and provides technical promotion services to 11 cities and more than 90 counties and districts. In recent years, nearly 200 scientific and technological service teams have been active in the front line of agricultural production in the province, promoting more than 500 new varieties, integrating more than 600 high-yield and high-efficiency technologies, and establishing more than 210,000 mu of core demonstration fields, radiating more than 5.6 million mu, training more than 500,000 agricultural management cadres, technicians, entrepreneurs, etc., and creating direct economic benefits totaling more than 1.8 billion yuan. The school (institute) actively carries out school-local cooperation, and has co-built a number of characteristic industry research institutes such as Datong Huanghua Industry Research Institute and Xinzhou Cereals Industry Research Institute with local governments, and co-built Shennong Edible Fungi Industry College with Shennong Group, and actively carried out the construction of national agricultural science and technology modernization pioneer counties (Linyi and Taigu); relying on the three-level trusteeship organization system of counties, towns and villages, it has explored and promoted the "H-type agricultural production trusteeship" model in Shanyin, Pingyao, Yicheng and other places, with a promotion area of ​​more than 200,000 mu; forming local characteristic leading industries such as Xixian Yulu Pear, Heshun Taihang Yunniu, Yangquyi Machine Integrated Organic Dryland Agriculture, Jingle Quinoa, Wanrong Linyi Apple, and Guangling Organic Edible Fungi. In recent years, it has vigorously carried out the "6+30" rural revitalization demonstration village construction action to explore replicable and popularizable rural revitalization paths in different regions and categories. The school actively integrates into the construction of the "Belt and Road" and has joined the "Silk Road Agricultural Education and Science and Technology Innovation Alliance". It currently has international scientific and technological cooperation projects such as Madagascar cotton planting technology service and industrial base construction, Pakistan's characteristic crop new germplasm creation and dryland agricultural technology demonstration.

Excellent school conditions, a holy place for reading and learning. The school campus covers an area of ​​3,588 acres, with a building area of ​​1.3437 million square meters and a total fixed asset value of 3.91 billion yuan, of which the total value of teaching and scientific research equipment is 1.155 billion yuan, with more than 2.08 million paper books and 3.7 million electronic books. The school is a national civilized campus and a national greening model unit. The "Shanxi Mingxian School Site" on the Taigu campus is a national key cultural relic protection unit. It has completely preserved the building complex from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. It is a vivid historical material of the modern education history, agricultural development history, and Sino-Western cultural and educational exchanges in Shanxi Province.

New era, new mission, new actions. The school (institute) adheres to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, takes moral education as its foundation, and takes strengthening agriculture as its mission. It is striding forward towards the goal of becoming a "domestic first-class, internationally influential, and regionally distinctive high-level research and application-oriented university"!

(Data statistics as of April 2022)