On July 4th, the "CCCPPM 20th Anniversary Development and Innovation Forum" was held at the School of Public Policy and Management (SPPM), Tsinghua University. The forum was organized by the China Case Center for Public Policy and Management（CCCPPM). The theme of the forum was "Public Management Case Teaching in the Era of Artificial Intelligence". Attendees of the opening ceremony included Qi Yanwei, Deputy Director of the Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center of the Ministry of Education ; He Xuebing, Deputy Director of the Humanities Office at Tsinghua University; Shi Lei, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tsinghua University Press; and Wang Xiaoting, Chief Consultant of the Southeast Asia Social Science Research Center in Malaysia and an alumnus of Tsinghua SPPM. Renowned speakers who delivered video speeches included Xue Lan, Senior Professor of Humanities at Tsinghua University, Dean of Schwarzman College, and Director of the Academic Committee of SPPM; Arnold M. Howitt, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Crisis Leadership Program at Harvard Kennedy School and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University; and Rebecca Hardin, Associate Professor at the School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, and Director of the Michigan Sustainability Cases initiative.

Opening Ceremony Venue

Qi Yanwei extended warm congratulations on the forum's opening. He highlighted Tsinghua SPPM's pioneering role in exploring a new model of case teaching tailored to China's public management education. As a leader, the school has effectively enhanced the capacity and level of professional degree case construction in China, and as a trailblazer, it has significantly advanced the direction of case construction and application in the new era. Over the past twenty years, the Case Center of Tsinghua SPPM has led the trend in public management case teaching and research with its remarkable achievements. Looking forward, it is expected to continue being a forerunner in the age of artificial intelligence, driving the deep integration of education and practice through innovation.

Qi Yanwei Giving Speech

Xue Lan emphasized that over the past twenty years, the Case Center has adhered to a spirit of truth-seeking and excellence, continuously exploring and practicing new models and methods of public management case construction and teaching. The center has witnessed the journey of case teaching from initial exploration to vigorous development and has seen students grow and progress through case studies, achieving outstanding results. In the era of artificial intelligence, public management case teaching faces unprecedented opportunities and challenges. It is essential to strengthen the effective integration of case teaching with AI technology, promote the deep integration of case teaching with practical teaching, and facilitate international exchanges and cooperation in case teaching.

Xue Lan Giving Video Speech

Arnold M. Howitt expressed his delight at participating in the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Case Center at Tsinghua SPPM. He shared the success stories of developing English- and Chinese-language cases and how these cases have broadly helped people understand contemporary China. He acknowledged the significant role of the Case Center in public management education and its positive impact on a larger scale.

Arnold M. Howitt Giving Video Speech

Rebecca Hardin introduced the development of the interactive learning open-source case platform, Gala, by the Michigan Sustainability Cases initiative at the University of Michigan. She recalled the collaborative research and development of teaching cases on topics such as lake management and the construction of the Red Flag Canal with the CCCPPM. She stressed the importance of such international cooperation in addressing global environmental challenges and expressed a firm commitment to continuing to promote innovation and transformation in educational methods.

Rebecca Hardin Giving Video Speech

Wang Xiaoting reviewed the transformation brought about by information technology in public management and looked forward to new opportunities presented by artificial intelligence. As an alumna of Tsinghua University and a board member of the SPPM Alumni Association, she shared the achievements of China and Malaysia in AI technology and public management cooperation. She noted that the important Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries would further deepen bilateral academic exchanges and research cooperation. She emphasized that AI should be viewed as a partner, promoting academic and technological development, and cultivating more excellent management talents for society.

Wang Xiaoting Giving Speech

Peng Zongchao, Party Secretary and Professor of Tsinghua SPPM, hosted the forum's opening ceremony.

Peng Zongchao Host the Opening Ceremony

Mu Ling, Assistant to the SPPM Dean and Director of the CCCPPM, first summarized the center’s achievements over the past twenty years using a digital avatar. She highlighted the center’s efforts in deepening case development, exploring practical "rich ore"， promoting case teaching, nurturing outstanding talents, focusing on faculty growth, and advancing case research. She pointed out that case teaching plays a crucial role in China's public management education by bringing the most vibrant practices of Chinese public management into the classroom, focusing on the issues in complex management scenarios, transforming theoretical knowledge into cognitive abilities, breaking the limitations of traditional classroom teaching, and promoting Chinese public management on the global stage. She also introduced various initiatives, including the integration of case development and teaching, the organic unity of faculty growth and student cultivation, and the simultaneous advancement of national service and international cooperation. Looking ahead, the Case Center advocates for the establishment of a national competition on AI-empowered public management case teaching innovation, encouraging more schools to embrace AI and drive educational innovation.

Mu Ling’s Digital Avatar

Mu Ling Giving the Report

In a surprise segment, Zhang Xingkun, Executive Producer of the movie "The Great Transfer," introduced the progress of transforming the teaching case "Yichang Evacuation" into a film project. This project, inspired by the classic public management case taught by Professor Cheng Wenhao of Tsinghua SPPM for many years in leadership courses, is based on the 1938 Yichang evacuation event. It tells the story of Mr. Lu Zuofu, who, with extraordinary wisdom and strategy, led the Minsheng Company fleet to save China's only remaining industrial lifeline and a large amount of materials and personnel within 40 days, laying a solid material foundation for the protracted war of resistance.

Zhang Xingkun Introducing the Movie

The ceremony also included the launch of the first volume of the "Tsinghua University Chinese-Characteristics Case Library Series" titled "Persistent Practice: The Exploration of Chinese Path to Modernization" (hereinafter referred to as " Persistent Practice"). In 2022, Tsinghua University initiated the Double First-Class Plan for Humanities and Social Sciences, commissioning the CCCPPM to organize the compilation of this book. The book was selected for the 2023 key publication theme list by the Ministry of Education. It was first printed and published in July 2024.

The Launch of the Book “Persistent Practice”

He Xuebing stated that Tsinghua University, in its "14th Five-Year Plan for High-Quality Development of Humanities and Social Sciences" and "2030 Innovation Action Plan," proposed the construction of a Chinese-characteristics case library. "Persistent Practice" summarizes and explains high-level cases through integration of research, teaching, and practice, reflecting multidisciplinary cooperation results, showcasing local innovation practices, corporate development stories, and the Belt and Road Initiative process, interpreting the rich connotation of the Chinese modernization path, and spreading Chinese governance experiences and new development concepts.

He Xuebing Giving Speech

Shi Lei noted that "Persistent Practice," under the backdrop of the new era, deeply interprets six major themes of Chinese modernization, presenting the wisdom of practice in aspects such as whole-process people's democracy and achieving high-quality development through 23 cases. He also expressed gratitude to the writing team for their hard work and revealed that the second volume is already being compiled and published. Tsinghua University Press will continue to promote the global dissemination of the book, contributing to the construction of the Chinese-characteristics case library and the cultivation of high-end talents.

Shi Lei Giving Speech

Over 150 guests from more than 70 universities, cadre schools, and enterprises across the country, including Tsinghua University, Xiamen University, Macau University of Science and Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University Press, Zhiyuan Technology, iFlytek, SenseTime, CNKI, and Huacheng Film Industry, attended the forum. The forum included the opening ceremony and three thematic sessions: "AI Empowerment: Innovation in Case Teaching and Study," "Enhancing Teaching Abilities: Case Development and Pedagogical Research," and "The Educational Function of Cases: Talent Cultivation and Career Development." Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on public management education in the age of artificial intelligence.

Group Photo