|
|
 |
|
Report on the
ACPS Annual Meeting
“China after
the 17th Party Congress”
October
10-12, 2008
We just
concluded a successful conference on "China after the 17th Party
Congress" from October 11-12, 2008 at Missouri State University,
hosted and co-sponsored by Missouri State University Graduate
Program in International Affairs and Political Science
Department. Please visit the website for more information about
the conference. Two books flowing from the conference papers
will be published by the Rowman & Littlefield in 2009.
Professor Deng Zhenglai, Dean of Fudan University’s National
Institute of Advanced Studies on Social Sciences (IAS-Fudan),
and Professor Yang Dali of University of Chicago Department of
Political Science are featured keynote speakers. Professor Yang
addressed the role of local government in China’s economic
transition and development at the opening session where Dr.
Frank Einhellig, Dean of Graduate College, delivered a welcome
speech.
Professor Deng
Zhenglai, a leading scholar of social sciences in China,
delivered a featured speech on the current mission of China’s
social sciences at the dinner banquet hosted by Missouri State
University Professor Dennis Hickey, who is an ACPS board member
and the James F. Morris Endowed Professor of Political Science
at Missouri State University. Professor Deng’s most appreciated
speech tackled with issues and challenges facing the development
of social sciences in China, offered intellectual critiques of
multidimensional flaws and deep-seated prejudice in social
science inquiry, way of thinking, and academic establishment
that have misguided social research and direction, and finally
offered his vision of reconstructing social science disciplines
and research programs and called for another intellectual
revolution in social sciences. His speech was followed by a most
spirited and intelligent dialogue between him and audience.
At the
conference, Professor Deng was named an honorary member of the
Association in recognition of his outstanding and lasting
contribution to China’s social sciences. According to the
Influence Report in China’s Human Studies and Social Science
(2000-2004) published by China’s Social Sciences Publishing
House, Prof. Deng Zhenglai is among the top 50 in 6 disciplines
out of the total 21 disciplines between 2000 and 2004, including
no. 1 in legal science, no. 2 in political science.
ACPS also
signed an agreement with Deng’s IAS-Fudan for future
institutional collaboration in areas of common interest, and
IAS-Fudan becomes an institutional member of ACPS along with
other institutions: Peking University Institute of Political
Development and Governance, Peking University Center for China
Strategic Studies, and San Francisco State University Center for
US-China Policy Studies. ACPS welcome the partnership with these
institutions and look forward to working with them in
accomplishing our common missions.
At the
conference, scholars from different areas, United States, China,
Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and Europe, came together to exchange
their research and findings on the topics related to the broad
theme of the conference, analyze the
significance of the changes made at the 17th
Congress, and investigate major issues and challenges facing
China after the 17th Party Congress, including
politics of reform policy, regulatory regime, effective
governance, political development and constitutionalism, China’s
rise and soft power, foreign relation, foreign policy, the
Cross-Taiwan Strait relations, China and international political
economy, China in search of a harmonious society, China’s
modernization and the military. People from the Springfield
local community and other locations in Missouri also attended
the conference. (conference
program)
A summary of
membership business meeting (October 10th, 2008):
1. Annual report by Dr. Sujian Guo, outgoing president.
2. Elections of new president-elect, new board of directors,
faculty best paper award committee and best graduate paper award
committee. Dr. Jean-Marc F. Blanchard was elected
president-elect. The new board of directors were elected: Drs. Baogang Guo, Jean-Marc F. Blanchard, Dennis Hickey, Sujian Guo,
Yang Dali, Yu Yanmin, and Jin Zeng.
Faculty best paper award committee: He Li, Yuchao Zhu, and
Gregory Mahoney. Graduate best paper award committee: Jean-Marc
Blanchard, Greg Moore, and John Kennedy. Please visit the ACPS website for more information:
http://acps.sfsu.edu/
3. Three ACPS awards have been given to three ACPS members,
including ACPS Outstanding Service Award to Dr. Sujian Guo,
Distinguished Service Awards to Dr. Dennis Hickery and Dr.
Jean-Marc Blanchard.
4. Discussion
and approval of a motion on ACPS bylaws amendments: the removal
of the advisory committee and the addition of the institutional
membership. Please visit the ACPS website for more information:
http://acps.sfsu.edu/
The above
motions were fully discussed and approved unanimously by members
present at the meeting on the 10th of October, 2008.
Respectfully reported by:
Baogang Guo, ACPS President
October 20, 2008
|
