The year of 2007 witnessed Tongji University’s centennial celebration as well as the comprehensive evaluation of undergraduate course teaching. The centennial celebration was a success under the efforts of the whole university, and so is the evaluation; in the meantime, our university has obtained prominent achievements in teaching, scientific research, social work, international communication and etc. Top ten pieces of news of Tongji University chosen through public appraisal on the network and by journalists were announced on January 8^th, which are stated as following:

1.Consummation of Tongji University’s centennial celebration

On May 20^th, the meeting of celebrating Tongji University’s 100^thanniversary was held. President Hu Jintao also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) sent his congratulatory letter, and Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Huangju, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun, Luo Gan, Qiao Shi, Zhu Rongji, Li Lanqing congratulated Tongji University on her 100^thanniversary by different ways.

On May 14^th, Premier Wen Jiabao paid a visit to the University to send his best regards on the occasion of 100th anniversary and delivered a speech with the theme “Best Wishes to Tongji University”. On June 14^th, this speech, after being polished by Premier Wen, was published on Wenhui Bao and then People Daily published the poem“Look up at the Starry Sky”composed by Premier Wen on September 14th.

On May 26^th, German President Horst Koehler paid a visit to Tongji University and sent his best regards to Tongji’s centennial celebration.

2. On April 27^th, the 27^thsession of the Standing Committee of the10th National People’s Congress passed a bill of appointment and dismissal, in which Wan Gang, former President of Tongji University, was appointed as new Minister of Science and Technology, and he was elected as chairman of China Zhi Gong Party on December 21th. Pei Gang, an academician of Chinese Academy of Science, was appointed as Tongji University president in the meeting of appointment and dismissal of Tongji University president on August 16^th.

3. A few professors in Tongji University won many world-class academic honors: Academician Yao Xi was elected as a foreign academician of US National Academy of Engineering on February 13^th; Academician Zheng Shiling was awarded “Italy Union Star” knight bachelor; Academician Wang Pinxian won Milankovitch Award at the beginning of May.

4. On May 24^th, the joint venture agreement of Sino—German Friendship Hospital was signed in Beijing, and the President Hu Jintao and German President Horst Koehler were present at the signature ceremony. This 1-billion-yuan Sino-German Friendship Hospital is jointly built by Tongji University, Siemens and the largest private hospital operator in Germany--Asklepios Kliniken, and it will start operations before the World Expo 2010.

5. Great achievements were obtained in discipline construction of our university. On August 24^th, ten disciplines were chosen as key ones in Shanghai; on September 3^rd, ten national key disciplines were added in our university, and 3 national key disciplines in our university were approved in November.

6. On November 30^th, the on-the- spot evaluation of undergraduate course teaching in Tongji University was rounded off and the expert group highly appraised it.

7. The key leaders of Shanghai City paid attention to the development of Tongji University. From May 8^thto May 20^thXi Jinping, a member of Standing Committee of Political Bureau, the CPC Central Committee and former secretary of Shanghai Municipal Committee, successively made investigation and study in our university for 5 times. On December 12^th, Yu Zhengsheng, a member of Political Bureau the CPC Central Committee and secretary of Shanghai Municipal Committee, inspected our university.

8. A new platform was built to foster undergraduates’ ability of innovation and practice. On March 27^th, “national innovation experiment plan for undergraduates’ innovation” in Tongji University, one of the ten experimental universities in our country, started formally, and the first 71 items undertaken by undergraduates were subsidized by 10,000 yuan respectively. On November 8^th, the venture park in Tongji University was established. Good pieces of news on students’ innovation were sent frequently: students from our university won the first prize in national environment protection contest for teenagers on July 9^th; Zhang zhen won China Scientific Innovation Award; students from our university were awarded the first Prize in national Intelligent Automobile Contest for undergraduates on August 28^th; the works of students from our university gained one top award in “Challenge Cup” National University Student’s Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition

9. Our university successively obtained donations from internationally well-known companies. On April 6^th, our university received IC software of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) (worth of 130 million dollars) from American Cadence Company; on May 10^th, our university received software and hardware (worth of 470 million dollars) from 5 of world’s 500 top companies including American GE; on May 17^th, Mr. Xie Ximou, a Tai Wan compatriot, donated 50 million yuan to Tongji University.

10. Top-grade international academic conferences were held successively in our university. On May 18^th, our university hosted’ city development international forum’ and ‘creation and sustainable development international forum; on May 20^th, ‘presidents forum on sustainable development and innovation of higher education’ and ‘international deans forum on Internationalization of Management Education’ were hosted in our university; on September 4^th, Tongji University hosted the 9^thinternational conference on paleoceanography.