Major News

SIFT marks 50 years of growth, success

By Miao Jie (China Daily Shanghai Bureau)
Updated: 2010-10-15 17:24

SHANGHAI -- As the cradle of the earliest and most prominent foreign trade talents in China, Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade (SIFT) has grown up with the nation's glorious export-led advancement.

And now, the academic institution is starting a new chapter in its own history on the occasion of its 50th anniversary this year.

Sun Haiming, president of the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade. [chinadaily.com.cn]

"Our institute's courses have brought up high-caliber students with broad foreign trade-related knowledge. More important, we have been dedicated to students' foreign language training and providing real-time case studies to make sure our graduates stand out during their job hunt," Sun Haiming, president of SIFT, told China Daily.

Founded in 1960, SIFT was originally part of the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, which allowed the college to have close ties with the foreign trade policy makers.

SIFT has been under the administration of the Shanghai Municipal Government since 1994.

According to Sun, after a decades-long commitment to strengthen its teaching quality, SIFT, which has two campuses in Shanghai's downtown Gubei area and Songjiang University Town, now has approximately 30 undergraduate courses, including foreign trade studies, foreign language studies, finance and law.

"We adjusted our curriculum system in the 1980s, after our country's reform and opening-up polices were unveiled, to keep our courses in tune with China's economic growth process," Sun said.

Courses such as Insurance, Accounting, and Applied Economy were set up during the institute's own reform, he said.

Located in China's most dynamic and export-oriented metropolis, SIFT is also scouting for opportunities to team up with overseas academic institutions for joint programs, in a bid to reinforce its reputation across the globe.

The institute, which is among the earliest to start Sino-foreign joint programs at Chinese higher education institutions, at present has three joint programs, including RMIT International Business School of SIFT, Sino-America Maodeshen Financial Management School of SIFT and Sino-Britain English and Business School of SIFT.

Those programs offer specialties in international trade, international business, international transport and logistics management.

On top of that, SIFT's School of WTO Research & Education is the first of its kind designed to train senior specialized personnel conversant in World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, proficient in international commerce and law.

The establishment of the school could further consolidate SIFT's strength in WTO research and enhance its influence among top decision makers in world trade-related issues.

"I'm proud to say that our graduates are armed with both academic and practical knowledge that makes them more popular in the contested job hunt market," Sun said. Going ahead, SIFT will continue to improve the curriculum amid upgrading teaching facilities such as the library and student center to create a better soft and hard environment for its teachers and students, Sun said.

SIFT's 50th anniversary ceremony is to take place on Oct 16.