New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai) is the third degree granting campus of New York University (NYU) and China's first Sino-US research university located in Shanghai, China. Together with New York University in New York City and New York University Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the portal campus is part of NYU's Global Network University.
Jointly established by NYU and East China Normal University with the support of the city of Shanghai in 2012, it was the first US university to receive independent registration from China's Ministry of Education. While classes are in English, some proficiency in Chinese is required for graduation. Upon graduation, students will receive a bachelor's degree conferred by New York University - the same degree awarded at the New York campus - as well as a Chinese degree recognized by the Chinese government.
Students are required to study away at one of NYU's 12 Global Academic Centers and 2 degree-granting campuses in order to foster cross-cultural understanding and communication.
History
The school opened to students in September 2013. Of the class of 294 students, 51% came from The People's Republic of China, with the remaining 49% coming from other countries around the world. During the 2013–2014 academic year, NYU Shanghai students studied at East China Normal University while the official NYU campus in Pudong was built. The Pudong campus was completed in the summer of 2014. Students moved into the new building at the start of the fall 2014 semester. Currently, the NYU Shanghai campus in Pudong serves NYU Shanghai students, study abroad students from New York, Abu Dhabi, and non-NYU affiliated colleges in other countries, as well as a number of NYU law students.
In 2018, the university introduced a "civic education” course at the behest of the Chinese Communist Party. The annual two-week course, executed during the university's Christmas break every year, is mandatory for all Chinese passport holders attending NYU Shanghai and includes lessons such as "Promoting the Prosperity and Development of Socialist Culture with Chinese Characteristics." These additions have been criticized as a step away from the university's academic freedom and raised questions of university control. In 2021, in response to a discrimination lawsuit brought by an NYU Shanghai professor, the university has stated that it is not controlled by NYU.
During the 2019 - 2020 academic year, the commencement ceremony was moved online due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health restrictions. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba and the commencement speaker of the ceremony, called upon students to find “a common path forward, a common path for cooperation” between China and the United States in his commencement speech. He was also a recipient of NYU Shanghai Chancellor's Medal of Honor.
Timeline
Fall 2006: New York University established an overseas study center at East China Normal University, and 18 students came to ECNU to study.
September 2012: NYU Shanghai's registration as an independent institution approved by China's Ministry of Education.
March 2019: First NYU Shanghai Student wins the prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship.
May 2019: NYU Shanghai breaks ground on new Qiantan campus.
May 2019: 2003 Economics Noble Laureate Robert Engle was appointed as the co-director of Volatility Institute at NYU Shanghai.
June 2020: Chancellor Yu Lizhong retires. Tong Shijun, a professor of philosophy at East China Normal University (ECNU) was named as the new Chancellor of NYU Shanghai.
Logo
NYU Shanghai's logo is adapted from NYU's torch logo, using the top half of the torch to form the petals of a magnolia flower, the official flower of Shanghai. The logo is meant to represent NYU's footing in Shanghai.
Administration
Current Leadership
Chancellor: Tong Shijun. Tong Shijun is the chancellor of NYU Shanghai. He was a professor of philosophy at East China Normal University and the former University Council Chairman of ECNU.
Inaugural Vice Chancellor: Jeffrey Lehman. Jeffrey Lehman is the Vice Chancellor of NYU Shanghai, where he oversees all academic and administrative operations. Lehman had previously served as dean of the University of Michigan Law School, the eleventh president of Cornell University, and the founding dean of the Peking University School of Transnational Law.
Provost: Joanna Waley-Cohen. Joanna Waley-Cohen is the Provost for NYU Shanghai and Julius Silver Professor of History at New York University, where she has taught Chinese history since 1992.