What will the role of universities be in this globalizedeconomy? How will they contribute to improvingsociety through innovation that will improve thequality of life and support economic growth? How willthey prepare their graduates who will extract thebest and explore the greatest in this increasinglycomplex society?It is important to remember thatundergraduate education and post-graduateeducation are tightly linked to research. Oureducation programs should ensure that the studentsare learning in an atmosphere characterized by thepursuit of new knowledge and process of discovery. An interrelated educational program willcreate a flow of young， bright and uninhibitedminds to work on the frontier of discovery.Thefundamental mission of a university is the creation of new knowledge which sometimes hasimmediate practical applications. But that can never be the only goal. And making it a primarygoal will frequently be short-sighted. Basic contributions to knowledge should be valued forbeing exactly that. Our university has an almost unique role in fostering suchcontribution.Choosing the right people is the first and perhaps the most crucial step in ensuringan innovative environment. There are three types of people that can be important. The firstclass of individuals consists of fanciful visionaries. The second class of important people ininnovative environment consists of revolutionary explorers.The third class of individuals consistsof uninhibited executors.
在這個(gè)經(jīng)濟(jì)全球化的時(shí)代背景下，大學(xué)將扮演怎樣的角色呢?大學(xué)將如何通過旨在提高生活質(zhì)量、推動(dòng)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的創(chuàng)新活動(dòng)進(jìn)而推動(dòng)社會(huì)的進(jìn)步呢?在這個(gè)日新月異、充滿變數(shù)的社會(huì)，大學(xué)又將如何培養(yǎng)那些善于取精用弘的學(xué)生呢?我們應(yīng)該認(rèn)識(shí)到，本科生教育和研究生教育都與研究緊密相連。我們的教育應(yīng)該為學(xué)生創(chuàng)造一種可以探尋新知識(shí)、帶來新發(fā)現(xiàn)的氛圍，將教學(xué)與研究融合在一起的教育可以培養(yǎng)一批活躍在探索前沿、聰穎開放的青年才俊。大學(xué)最根本的使命就是創(chuàng)造新知識(shí)，雖然大學(xué)所創(chuàng)造的新知識(shí)有時(shí)會(huì)立即產(chǎn)生實(shí)際應(yīng)用價(jià)值，但這決不是大學(xué)所追求的唯一目標(biāo)。將獲取實(shí)際應(yīng)用價(jià)值的目標(biāo)定位大學(xué)的主要目標(biāo)是一種短視行為。基礎(chǔ)研究也同樣是大學(xué)的使命，而且大學(xué)在推動(dòng)基礎(chǔ)研究方面能發(fā)揮獨(dú)特的作用。選對(duì)人是確保創(chuàng)新型研究環(huán)境的首要因素，也是最為關(guān)鍵的因素。選人要選三種人：第一種人是想法活躍的思想家，第二種人是富有革命精神的探索家，第三種人是不受常規(guī)約束的實(shí)干家。
