World-class universities undertake to ‘take world affairs as responsibility’, an idea that is reflected throughout the motto of the School of Public Affairs. Since its establishment in 2005, the SPA-ZJU place international development as one of its core mission. For the past few years, SPA has made significant achievement and strategic breakthrough in terms of its internationalization, while facing considerable challenges and opportunities.

So far, SPA has formed strategic partnership with dozens of public affairs schools at universities from overseas and from Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan, including Columbia University, Cambridge University and Hongkong University of Science and Technology and etc. With students ‘going out’, in 2015 about 76 undergraduate and postgraduate students went abroad to the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and so on, and toHongkong, Macao and Taiwan region for activities including exchange programs and academic conferences; in 2016 the number adds up to 128. With students ‘getting in’, in 2015 around 147 foreign students and those from Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan region came to study at SPA; in 2016 there were 205.

In particular, SPA hosts the English-taught Master of Public Administration program funded by the Bai Xian Education Foundation. Each year, the program selects a competitive cohort of 15 students from across Asia, including Japan, Korea, India, Thailand, Burma and so on, and 15 Chinese student buddies, to form a diverse class of Asian students as a pool for friendly and constructive exchanges. In addition, tbe Master in International Relations Program currently has 78 international students from 39 countries.

In terms of academic cooperation, the School’s academic funding reached RMB 4,880,000 yuan in AY 2015-16. Meanwhile, there were 43 international cooperative papers published, with 41 catalogued by SCI/SSCI, 2 by EI. The School sponsors 3 international journals, including the Journal of Chinese Governance (Routledge), International Journal of Social Quality (Berghahn) as well as Journal of Urban Management (Elsevier), in cooperation with other institutions. Among SPA’s full-time teachers, 2 have foreign nationality, 3 is from Hongkong, Macao and Taiwan region, 1 of which is listed in the National One Thousand Plan and is titled Qiushi Distinguished Scholar.