Inner Mongolia University of Technology

  Inner Mongolia University of Technology (IMUT), situated in Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) which is a northern border area of China, is a multi-disciplinary university with a teaching focus not only on engineering, but on natural science, liberal arts, economics, management and law as well. The university focuses on undergraduate education, with postgraduate programs being an important part and is eligible to confer doctoral degrees.

  Founded in 1951, Inner Mongolia University of Technology (IMUT) originated from Suiyuan Higher Technical School . In 1958, with the help from Tsinghua University and Tianjin University , it was developed into Inner Mongolia Engineering College under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Mechanical Industry. In 1983, it came back to be under the administration of IMAR. And then in 1993, it was renamed IMUT.

  Since long, IMUT has been insisting on a right orientation in its running and a comprehensive implementation of teaching principles, centering on the training of qualified talents, with discipline construction as a head move, deepening reform as a motive, and a faster development as a priority task so that a better teaching quality has been steadily improved. With over 50 years of development, IMUT has become a multi-disciplinary university with a teaching focus not only on engineering, but on natural science, liberal arts, economics, management and law as well. Now, a coordinated system of multi-level education, ranging from undergraduate programs to master's and doctoral degree programs, has been under way, being a top university in IMAR and quite prestigious across the country.

  In discipline construction, the university offers 44 bachelor degree courses in 16 schools (faculty or center), which fall into six major disciplines, namely, engineering (the main focus), science, literature, economics, management and law. The university began enrolling bachelor's degree students in 1958, won the qualification to confer master's degrees in 1986, and later in 2003, became an institution eligible to award doctoral degrees. Now course programs offered by IMUT include 44 bachelor degree programs, 4 second-level disciplines eligible for conferring doctoral degrees, 6 first-level disciplines for master's degrees, 49 second-level ones for master's degrees, 11 engineering master's degree programs, 8 master's degree programs for in-service teachers and MBA program. It is also a university qualified to recommend top undergraduate students into master's degree programs without taking the entrance examination. Now, a system of multi-level education has been formed, ranging from postgraduate programs (both doctoral and master's), regular undergraduate programs (including preparatory course programs for minority group students), two-year diploma programs, higher vocational education programs, to continued education programs.

  Currently, there are 5 IMAR-level key disciplines, 2 IMAR-level production force promotion centers. The IMAR New Energy Resource Experiment Demonstration Base and the IMAR Research Center for Manufacturing Resource Planning are both located in IMUT. In addition, it is one of the 32 nation-wide bases (co-founded with Inner Mongolia University and Inner Mongolia Agricultural University ) for humanity culturing of college students.

  Now, IMUT has two campuses (the main one and Jinchuan campus), covering a total area of 2,485 mu ( 1.65 km 2 ), including 303,800 m 2 of buildings for teaching and administration and 79,200 m 2 for sports facilities. Currently, there are 2 IMAR-level key laboratories, 19 centers for experiment and teaching (5 of which are of IMAR level demonstration centers), which fall into 85 laboratories. In addition, we have a engineering training center (including electrical and electronic practicum) and 11 practicum bases with the “New Energy Resource Demonstration Base” as an example. IMUT has set up 112 outside-campus practicum bases in such large and medium-sized enterprises as Baotou Iron and Steel (Group) Company Ltd., Inner Mongolia No.1 Machine Building (Group) Company Ltd., Inner Mongolia Beifang Heavy Industry (Group) Company Ltd.. Both students and staff have an access to the teaching and research facilities and equipment worth of 101,80 million yuan (RMB) and a modernized library of 12,800 m 2 which collects 1.922 million volumes of books and journals (including e-books). In 1997, the well-functioning campus local network was connected to the CERNET to have covered all teaching, administrative and residential quarters by over 8,200 info knots.

  IMUT has attracted a well-structured and well-qualified staff of 2162 members, including 1178 full-time teachers, of whom, 101 are professors, 292 associate professors, 76 Ph.D holders, 531 Master's degree holders, 22 Ph.D program supervisors, 256 master's degree program supervisors, 6 members of the Supervising Committee of Teaching in Higher Learning Institutions, 28 professors enjoying the Special Allowances by Chinese Government, 16 professors awarded the titles of “Middle-aged or Young Expert with Distinguished Achievements” of either National or IMAR level, 36 enrolled into the IMAR level “New Century 321 Talent Program (level 1 and 2)”, 18 into “IMAR Higher Education 111 Talent Program (level 1 and 2)”, 67 taking the posts of either chairman, general secretary, or member of board of directors in diversified professional societies or associations of IMAR level or higher. Apart from that, a group of renowned scholars from both home and abroad (including 5 academicians from Chinese Academy of Science or Chinese Academy of Engineering) are appointed to be part-time supervisors or professors in this university.

  IMUT students are mainly from Inner Mongolia , but it also enrolls students from 24 other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the country. Currently, 18724 full-time students are studying at the university, of whom 14641 are regular undergraduate students, 523 preparatory course students (minority groups), 2290 higher vocational education program students, 911 master's degree students, 37 Ph.D candidates and 322 grown-up students. In the past 50 years or more, IMUT has turned out nearly 60,000 graduates for the economic construction and social development of Inner Mongolia and further to the country. Graduates from this university are popular for their solid foundation in specialized knowledge, excellent skills and moral integrity. They have been well accepted in all parts of the country and have won a great honor for their Alma Mater with their achievements and devotion to their work. Some distinguished examples are Mr YANG Jing, chairman of Inner Mongolia government, Mr LIN Donglu, board chairman of Baotou Iron and Steel Company Ltd., Mr CHEN Shuqing, general manager of Inner Mongolia Beifang Heavy Industry Group Company Ltd., Mr HE Gong, general manager of China Huadian Group Company, Mr JIAO Kaihe, deputy general manager of China Arms Industry Group Company, Mr CUI Zhanfeng, the first Oxford University professor from China, and Mr LI Yongwang, chair scientist of “turning coal into oil” project in Chinese Academy of Science. In the recent three years, 90.24% of our graduates have found their jobs right after graduation each year, ranking top in IMAR, due to which, IMUT was awarded “Excellence” during the evaluation in 2005.

  IMUT adheres to centering on teaching so as to steadily improve teaching quality and to incessantly strengthen its competence in scientific researches. Since 2001, the university has won 16 IMAR Teaching Achievement Awards, 4 of which are first-class winners. Six specialties such as “material shaping and control engineering”, “electrical engineering and automation”, “chemical engineering and technology”, “machine design, building and its automation”, “architecture” and “thermal energy and power engineering” are named noted specialties at the IMAR level and 14 courses such as “electrotechnics”, “higher mathematics”, “college physics”, “engineering mechanics” and “mechanical cartography” are named top-quality courses. In both the nation-wide and IMAR-level “Challenger Cup” competition of college students' invention works each year, IMUT did well and became one of the best each time. In 2002, a student from IMUT was awarded a first prize for his “business creation proposal” in the competition. In 2004, a student from IMUT got an “Innovation Prize” , the only prizewinner from IMAR. In the past three years, about 10% (over 50% from some specialties) of undergraduate students succeeded in passing the entrance examination for postgraduate studies.

  From 2001 to 2005, more than 700 research projects or programs have successively been undertaken, of which, 57 were funded by National Natural Science Fund, National Social Science Fund or National “ 863” Planning, with a yearly fund of more than 30 million yuan; 22 were awarded the “Award for Improvement in Science and Technology” of either National or IMAR level; 20 items got patented by national government. Over 3,800 papers or theses got published in academic journals both home and abroad, out of which, 122 were collected or quoted by SCI, EI or ISTP.

  In order to meet the need of social and economic development of IMAR, this university insists on combining production, learning and research, and has given a full play to the exploitation of local natural resources so as to help the priority enterprises work together with the key industries. IMUT has signed collaboration agreements with such large enterprises as Inner Mongolia Mengxi High-and-New Technology Group Company Ltd., Inner Mongolia Lantai Industrial Company Ltd., Baotou Mingtian Science and Technology Company Ltd., and has established Lantai-IMUT Science and Technology Innovation Center and the Incubation Center on Materials Science and Engineering with Baotou Municipality . The university also sets up some enterprises such as Inner Mongolia Gongda Architectural Design Company Ltd., which is a strong link between university and the society. All these achievements have won both economic and social benefits.

  IMUT publishes 3 academic journals and newspaper: The Journal of IMUT (the natural science edition was incorporated as one of the Core Journals in field of science and technology in China ), Higher Education Research, and the IMUT fortnightly .

  The colorful cultural activities on campus are very important in helping students improve themselves. Various kinds of academic or art festivals, contests, social practice are attracting more and more active participants. The “Sailing Dream” Glee Club of IMUT Students, founded in 1996, has many times won prizes on either nation-wide or IMAR competitions. In 2005 in particular, the “Bowls On Top” (group dance) and the “Ode” (solo dance) both won first prize in the 1 st National Presentation of College Students Art Performance. As is perceived, a strong academic atmosphere, a rich cultural activity and a good taste in campus life have edified generations of IMUT students.

  IMUT has wide opened her gate to welcome both talents and advanced experience from outside world. It has collaborations with such domestic universities as Tsinghua University, Tianjin University, Harbin Polytechnic University in field of teacher training, academic exchanges, teaching reform and scientific & technological cooperation, and set up long-term collegiate relationships with some well-known universities from United States of America, Canada, Germany, France, Poland, Japan, Russia, Australia and Mongolia.

  IMUT, being a local university of technology, is shouldering a historical task of turning out more technological talents for IMAR so as to push forward the economic development and to promote a harmonious social progress. Many state leaders and IMAR leaders have come to inspect and give suggestions, and have affirmed the developments and achievements of the university. They are LI Peng, LI Lanqing, Buhe, Uyunqimuge, ZHU Kaixuan, ZHOU Ji, ZHOU Yuanqing and CHU Bo. Some of them wrote to further encourage the IMUT staff and students. LI Peng has “Develop power industry with science and technology, and turn out more talents for Inner Mongolia the energy base”; LI Lanqing “Deepen the teaching reform, reasonably scheme and fully apply the teaching resource so as to further improve teaching quality and efficiency, and to turn out more excellent talents”; Uyunqimuge “To be morally clear and academically exact, and to combine one's knowledge with one's behavior”.

  In the recent years, IMUT has many times awarded by both state and regional governments, successively in respect of education, ideology and politics, spiritual growth, student supervising, talent training, and ethnic unity & progress. The university has won the title of “ Advance University in field of Party Construction, Ideology and Politics”. In addition, IMUT has 9 times won the title of “ State-designated Advance University in respect of Students' Social Practice”. Tens of mass media such as Guangming Daily , China Education Daily, Inner Mongolia Daily and CCTV have reported what IMUT has achieved so far.