Henan Normal University is one of the key universities directly under the provincial government, developed from the Zhongzhou University (founded in 1923) and Pingyuan Teachers college (founded in 1951). It is situated in Xinxiang, a famous city in north Henan, which is at the junction of the Beijing- Guangzhou, Taiyuan-Heze railways, nestling near Taihang Mountain to the north and the Yellow River to the south, where the famous Muye battle once took place. Due to the adjustment of colleges and departments, the university has successfully been renamed as Henan Teachers College 2, Henan Second Teachers college and Xinxiang Teachers College after the founding of New China. And in 1985, she began to be called Henan Normal University.
In the past 84 years after the founding, especially after the founding of New China, the university has gradually grown into a comprehensive normal university with complete subjects and courses. There are now 17 colleges, 24 research institutes (centres), 10 provincial key disciplines, and 49 majors of undergraduate course covering 9 subjects such as economics, science of law, education, literature, science, engineering, agriculture, history and administration. The university recruited master degree candidates from 1978. She has been 4 doctor’s degree granting points, 6 master’s degree granting first-level discipline points, 75 master’s degree granting second-level discipline points and 3 master’s degree granting points covering 11 subjects such as philosophy, economics, science of law, education, literature, science, engineering, agriculture, history, administration and medical science until now. The university has the cell differentiation regulation and control of provincial and ministerial jointly builting state-class key lab, Huanghe and Huaihe River water pollution and prevention and cure of provincial and ministerial jointly builting key lab of the Ministry of Education, Henan environmental pollution and controll key lab, Henan Bioengineering key lab, Henan bioengineering research and application center, life science state-class experiment and teaching center, 4 provincial level experiment and teaching centers of life science, chemistry, computer and physics. 3 provincial level humanity social science research base. The university is the experimental unit of Ministry of Education’s Education Master’s degree and the overall reform and proving base of Henan province teacher and education. Henan Colleges and Universities' Teachers Training Center and Henan province President of high school training base are in our unversity. The university has the Biological Specimen Museum which is the largest in scale and the maximum in varieties in Henan province. She covers an area of 1,280,000 square meters with a floor space of 600,000 square meters. The total value of teaching and research instruments is amount to 130 million yuan. She boasts a library with more than 2,000,000 paper editions and more than 440,000 electronic editions. At present, there are more than 20,000 postgraduates and under-graduates. There is a teaching staff of 2,000 of whom 1,700 are professional technologists including 4 academicians of CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) or CAE(Chinese Academy of Engineering), 12 provincial level specially engaged professors, 500 professors and associate professors, 4 young experts with national outstanding contributions, 26 winners of special government subsidy, 3 teaching guiding committee members of Ministry of Education’s colleges and universities, 24 Henan’s outstanding talents and 2 Henan’s teaching well-known master.
Henan Normal University highly values its talented teachers, devotes much of its focus to quality teaching, and facilitates the full engagement of the teachers’ talents. Since its establishment, many noted scholars and professors both at home and abroad have taught here, such as Zhao Jibin, Li Junfu, Yao Conggong, Wei Mingchu, Fan Yingchu, Du Mengmo, Sun Zuoyun, Hang Dunci, Xu Mengying Bi Liejue and Lu Jinsuo. In recent years, another group of youth and middle-aged experts and scholars with great influence at home and abroad have emerged. The joint efforts of many generations have created an excellent school spirit of “Noble morality, Erudite, Aiming at absolute perfection”.
Henan Normal University enjoyes reputation because of pure school spirit, upright teaching general mood, great studying ethos and high level college course teaching. She got the “excellent” in the Ministry of Education’s assess to the level of college course teaching in 2006. In recent years, source of students is plentiful, the number of reached the admission test score in the college enrolment first aspiration always is twice as much as enrolment plan. Graduate employment rate keeps above 90%, the proportion that graduating students are admitted to master is above 25%. In 2007, the college courses such as mathmatics, applied mathmatics and English enter the first enrollment. The universty’s society reputation rises gradually.
Henan Normal University pays special attention the research of science and technology and their development and application. The value that high and new technology achievement created which the university transferred had reached several hundreds of million yuan in the fields of chemistry pharmacy, battery material, biotechnology and environmental protection. She has been one of the important bases that promote Henan science and technology innovation and ecomonic growth. In the past three years, the university has undertaken over 80 scientific research projections in succession of the “863”, “973”, national natural science fund and so on, 200 scientific research projections at the provincial level and more than 38 at or above the provincial level have been awarded prizes, 200 teaching materials or academic works as well as 4,000 academic papers have been published. The research results in the fields such as basic mathematics; theoretical physics, atomic and molecular physics, physical chemistry, bioengineering, medical systhesis and environmental sciences in the leading position both at home and abroad. Statistics of China Research Institute of S&T Information shows that the collection quality of the academic papers published by teachers of the university and included by SCI has been listed among the top 50th in 8 years in succession since 1994, she was listed in 29th in 1995 and in 4th in the normal colleges and universities throughout the country. The university has always occupied the top 72nd in the colleges and universities of the whole country since 2002. The thesis quotes SCI has always occupied the top 51st since 1995 and ever been up to 32nd. Natural Science Edition and Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition of Journal of Henan Normal University are both chosen as the Chinese core journal. Full text reprint amounts of Philosophy and Social Science Edition ranked the top 7th among the journals of the colleges and universities throughout the country.
The university continuously strengthens the academic exchanges with universities and institutions of foreign countries, having built intercollegiate cooperation of friendly contact with 31 universities and institutes in the USA, Germany, Japan, and France etc. She has successively sent abroad more than 300 experts and scholars to give lectures, further their study, make investigations or carry out academic exchanges. As Many as 120 internationally distinguished scholars, such as Mendoz, a famous Nobel Prize winner; Feng Duan, Wang Erkang, Wu Zuze and Shen Yunfen, the academicians of CAS, to act as honorary or part-time professors of the university. Also many foreign experts and teachers from the USA, Japan, Canada and Britain have been invited to teach here for years.
In the 84 years' changes and cultivations, generations of the Normal University staffs have been united, diligent, practical and innovative, precise in pursuit for studies, and willing to contribute, which has resulted in remarkable achievements. Graduates are welcome by society and employing units and excellence rate of both the graduates' political performance and professional quality rank among the best in Henan's colleges and universities in the follow-up surveys of graduates organized by Henan Education Department. As a talent cradle of Henan, the university has fostered more than 11,000 graduates for society science the founding of new China. Among them, some have become educational models; some have become leading figures in scientific research; some have become entrepreneurs in economic department; and some have become party workers with remarkable achievements. They have made due contributions to the construction of the national modernization and have won praise from all the social fields for their good political qualities, profound theoretical foundations and serious work style, which makes their alma mater very proud.
In recent years, with emancipated minds, novel ideas, matter-of-fact attitudes and a pioneering spirit, the university has gained great achievements in teaching, research and management work. She has been entitled as “advanced unit in democracy management in National Educational Trade Union”, “advanced unit in graduate distribution of colleges and universities”, “ National May 4th Flag League Committee”, “National excellent Dean’s Office”, “national advanced unite in construction of spiritual civilization”, “advanced collective in logistics work in national colleges and universities”, “ advanced unit in party construction and ideological work in Henan’s colleges and universities”, “Henan five-excellent party organization”, “Henan civilization university”, “advanced unit in school discipline and school spirit construction of Henan’s colleges and universities”, “advance collective in the menegement of students of Henan’s colleges and universites”, “Henan province gardens unit”, “Henan province hygiene advanced unit”, “advanced unit in Henan province ‘four-five’ popularizing law” and for 17 years on end it has been entitled as “National Advanced Unit in college students social practice”.
During the “Eleventh Five-year Plan” period, Henan Normal University shall give further prominence to her normal characteristics, optimize her subject advantages, enhance her comprehensive strength. And she shall build herself into a high-level university with normal education feature.
History
Henan Normal University is one of the key universities directly under the provincial government, developed from the Zhongzhou University (founded in 1923) and Pingyuan Teachers College (founded in 1951). She got through some periods such as Province-maintained Zhongzhou University Science Department of Henan, Province-maintained Henan University Science College, State-maintained Henan University Science College etc. in many times social change.
In August, 1948, Pingyuan Province was set up. To meet the needs of construction, Ping Yuan People’s Government decided to establish a new university, presently named Pingyuan University. In March, 1951, the university was named Pingyuan Teachers College, being approved by Central Ministry of Education. Pingyuan Teachers College held a grand school-opening ceremony on November 23, 1951. The college had 4 deparments with 7 specialities, 485 students, 181 faculty and staff, 83 teachers of whom are more than 10 professors.
In August, 1953, Pingyuan Teachers College and Henan University in Kaifeng merged into Henan Teachers Normal College with the two colleges being run separately. College 1 which was merged liberal arts of former Henan University and Pingyuan Teachers College run in Kaifeng. College 2 which merged science departments of former Hennan University and Pingyuan Teachers Normal College run in Xinxiang. College 2 had 4 departments including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology. She became the pure science normal college after being regulated. College 2 was renamed Hennan Second Teachers College and Xinxiang Teachers College according to department-speciality adjusting spirit of the colleges and universities of State Council afterwords.
During the ten years (1956-1965), the university developed rapidly and enrolled totally 6,708 students, of whom 6,007 graduated. She also fostered a great number of qualified talents and supported the national economic construction. Ten years’ upheaval (1966-1976) made the university seriously destroyed and ruined. After “Gang of Four” was crushed in 1976, especially after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of CPC, the university began to walk onto a development road through bringing out of chaos and carrying out a series of development and reform work.
From 1975, the university recovered liberal arts and entered the building and developing commonly period of liberal arts and science department, but the science deparment was taken as the dominant factor in the sides of department offered. To fit in with Henan’s economic and educational situations and meet the needs of talents, Xinxiang Teachers College was renamed Henan Normal University in June 1985. The university entered a brand-new fleetness developing period from then on. Now, Henan University has become a comprehensive normal university with bigger scale, varied form and complete subjects and courses.
