Beginning of a Legacy: An Oral History of NYU Shanghai

In May 2006, NYU Shanghai Chancellor Emeritus Yu Lizhong, then president of East China Normal University (ECNU), led a delegation to visit New York University (NYU). 15 years later, he clearly remembers that first interaction with then-NYU President John Sexton, who greeted him with his vision of higher education. 

“In the age of globalization, higher education should not be based on a single culture, but rather, on a foundation of diversity of cultures,” Yu remembers Sexton saying, “We should allow our students, during the four years of university study, to have more opportunities to meet students from different cultural backgrounds, to have more opportunities to experience different cultural environments, and let them see a bigger world.”

_{John Sexton and Yu Lizhong at NYU Shanghai’s groundbreaking and signing ceremonies in March, 2011.}

At that moment, Yu realized that Sexton’s vision of internationalizing education aligned well with that of Chinese educators. Prior to that visit, NYU had already sent several delegation groups to Shanghai with the purpose of finding an ideal university partner to host one of NYU’s overseas study centers, as NYU began developing its plans to become a global network university. 

Those first encounters between educators in China and the US are now recognized as the seeds from which NYU Shanghai blossomed and the beginning of a new chapter in global higher education. They sparked a collaboration between four partners – Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Pudong New District Government, NYU, and ECNU. 

Thus begins a newly-released oral history documentary, Beginning of a Legacy: An NYU Shanghai Oral History, presented by NYU Shanghai in celebration of its anniversary. The film pays tribute to the collective efforts of students, faculty, staff, as well as domestic and international friends who have played a vital role in shaping the university over the past decade.

_{A ceremony commemorating NYU Shanghai’s establishment held in in Lujiazui in October 2012.}

The documentary comprises five chapters, covering the University’s founding process, curriculum design, faculty development, student cultivation, and research exploration. This oral history project, which spanned nearly two years from planning to completion, features the voices of over 60 people, including founding partners, faculty, staff and alum, each who played a crucial role in the university’s establishment.

Through their voices, viewers get an inside look at the intentions and process through which China’s first Sino-US research university came into existence and was established. Many behind the scene details are revealed for the first time through the stories shared by participants, including some core issues of education administration, including why Pudong was chosen as the ideal location, how administrators formulated a curriculum that would honor and adhere to both NYU requirements and Chinese educational standards, how top-rate faculty were recruited and research collaborations were developed, and how administrators and staff created a learning environment that would allow students and faculty from diverse backgrounds can engage and understand one another more effectively. 

Hence, the idea of such a university was transformed into reality. Today, more than a decade later, the University continues to grow as more people join the community. NYU Shanghai has grown from a study away center on ECNU’s campus to an academic building at Century Avenue and now to the fully-fledged New Bund Campus.

_{Celebrating NYU Shanghai's 10th anniversary at the New Bund Campus.}

A decade ago, nobody could have foreseen the achievements the University community has reached today. NYU Shanghai has cemented its reputation as a testing ground for the reform and development of higher education in China, a booster of Sino-US cultural exchange, and a special force in the development and opening up of Pudong New District. The university itself boasts unique academic and social significance as a rare and valuable case of the transformation of higher education in China and worldwide.

In the documentary, the interviewees are each asked to describe NYU Shanghai in a word. They shared their answers, which included “exploration”, “unique”, “transformative”, “eclectic”, “audacious”, “exciting”, “dazzling”, “unparalleled”, “idealistic”, “incomparable”, “abundance”, “possibility”, “nimble”, “diverse”, “faith”, “unicorn”, “bridge” and “home”.

Watch the film, and then answer this question yourself: What word would you choose to describe NYU Shanghai?  

May this film inspire future generations to uphold the spirit of our University and contribute to the future growth of NYU Shanghai!

Beginning of a Legacy: An NYU Shanghai Oral History is available to view on NYU Shanghai’s website, Youtube and Bilibili.