Introduction

Shenzhen University was established in 1983 with the approval of the Ministry of Education of China. The central government, the Ministry of Education, and local governments attach great importance to the construction of special zone universities. Peking University has assisted in the construction of Chinese and foreign language disciplines, Tsinghua University has assisted in the construction of electronics and architecture disciplines, and the National People's Congress has assisted in the construction of economics and law disciplines. A large number of well-known scholars have gathered at Shenzhen University. At the beginning of its establishment, the school was determined to reform its university management system, actively exploring scholarships, credit systems, and work study programs. It took the lead in implementing a non guaranteed distribution and two-way selection system for graduates in China, as well as implementing a full staff appointment system and socialized management reform in the logistics department, which caused strong reactions nationwide.

After 34 years of establishment, Shenzhen University has closely followed the special zone, committed to reform and rapid development. The school adheres to the motto of "self-reliance, self-discipline, and self-improvement" and has formed the characteristics of "special zone universities, window universities, and experimental universities". It has formed a complete talent training system from bachelor's and master's to doctoral degrees, as well as a multi-level scientific research and social service system. It has become a comprehensive university with complete disciplines, complete facilities, excellent faculty, and standardized management, and has been awarded the title of National Civilized Campus.

Shenzhen University currently has two campuses, Yuehai and Lihu, with a total campus area of 2.72 square kilometers. The school has abundant teaching resources and complete scientific research facilities. The total construction area of the campus is 1.543 million square meters, and the total value of instruments and equipment is 1.85 billion yuan. The library building covers an area of 51202 square meters (including the first phase of the Lihu Campus Library), with over 4.0079 million copies of paper resources throughout the school; There are 257 databases, including 2.3255 million full-text e-books and 124800 full-text electronic journals. There is currently one national undergraduate comprehensive reform pilot, one national talent training model innovation experimental zone, and one national practical teaching base. Two national level experimental teaching demonstration centers, one national level virtual simulation experimental teaching center, 15 provincial level experimental teaching demonstration centers, and one provincial level virtual simulation experimental teaching center. There are three national engineering laboratories, one national engineering center, two key laboratories of the Ministry of Education, and eight provincial key laboratories.

Shenzhen University currently has 34949 full-time students, including 27564 full-time undergraduate students, 7132 master's students, and 253 doctoral students. There are 1340 in-service master's students, 18784 adult education students, and 837 international students. The school has a complete range of disciplines with strong comprehensiveness, covering 11 disciplines including philosophy, literature, economics, law, education, science, engineering, management, medicine, history, and art. The university has 27 teaching colleges and 90 undergraduate majors. There are currently 5 national level characteristic majors and 10 provincial-level characteristic majors; There are 15 provincial-level key disciplines. There are 34 first level disciplines authorized for master's degree, and 249 second level disciplines under it; There are 13 authorized categories for professional master's degrees, including 14 authorized fields for engineering master's degrees. 3 first level disciplines and 13 second level disciplines with doctoral authorization; 3 postdoctoral research mobile stations and 1 postdoctoral workstation. Engineering, clinical medicine, materials science, biology and biochemistry, and computer science have entered the top 1% of the world rankings in ESI disciplines, and are ranked 84th in the expanded version of the ESI highly cited paper ranking in Chinese universities. The school has initiated the establishment of the "National Local University UOOC Alliance", with 117 affiliated universities, 213 online courses, 80 course selection schools, and 52 credit recognition schools. The cumulative number of course selection personnel has exceeded 350000. In 2017, undergraduate students won 727 awards in various competitions at all levels, including 175 international level awards, 241 national level awards, and 237 provincial and ministerial level awards.

The structure of the school's teaching staff is continuously optimized, and the introduction and training of high-level talents have yielded fruitful results. There are currently 3455 faculty members, including 2267 full-time teachers, 561 technical personnel, and 627 management personnel. There are 782 postdoctoral fellows, 220 full-time researchers, and 119 visiting professors. There are 228 foreign teachers. There are 10 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (including 4 for short term), 5 academicians of the American Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (for short term), 1 academician of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, 1 academician of the European Academy of Sciences (for short term), 2 academicians of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, and 1 Nobel Prize winner (for physiology and medicine) (for short term). There are 22 specially appointed professors (including 17 short-term hires) under the Yangtze River Scholar Award Program, 28 recipients of the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund, 14 recipients of the National Outstanding Youth Science Fund, and 8 "New Century Excellent Talents" from the Ministry of Education. There are 4 the Pearl River Scholars in Guangdong Province, 1 outstanding youth in Guangdong Province, 2 "South Guangdong Top 100 Scholars" in Guangdong Province, 3 leading scholars in Guangdong Province, 17 "Special Support Program" in Guangdong Province, 3 "Pengcheng Outstanding Talents" in Shenzhen City, and 7 Pengcheng Scholars.

The school continues to deepen the reform of the scientific research system, with significant growth in scientific research projects and funding. In 2017, the total funding for scientific research was 970.5 million yuan, of which 912 million yuan was related to science and technology, setting a new historical high. The funding for humanities and scientific research was 58.5 million yuan. As of now, 279 new National Natural Science Foundation projects have been added, ranking 23rd in the country and 2nd in Guangdong universities; 31 new national social science fund projects have been added, ranking 37th in the country and 3rd in Guangdong universities. In 2017, SCI included 2126 papers and SSCI included 198 papers; Received 2160 scientific research awards; 306 patent authorizations, including 211 invention patent authorizations. The Journal of Science and Engineering was selected as an Excellent Science and Technology Journal of Chinese Universities in 2016; The number of reprints of papers in humanities journals has jumped to the 17th place in national university journals.

The school actively promotes "international talent cultivation, international scientific research cooperation, international teacher construction, and international cultural exchange". It has established contacts with 225 overseas universities and carries out various forms of international cooperation such as student exchange, teacher training, and cooperative education, comprehensively improving the quality and level of international exchanges. The education of foreign students in the school began in 1987, and in recent years, it has recruited and trained more than 1500 international students annually.

Shenzhen University will continue to be based in Shenzhen, relying on the economic and social development of Hong Kong, Macao, and the Pearl River Delta region, facing the international community, cultivating high-quality innovative and entrepreneurial talents with the spirit of reform and innovation, leading the progress and development of society, achieving coordinated development, distinctive development, open development, and leapfrog development, and accelerating the construction of Shenzhen University into a high-level, distinctive, and modern first-class university.