Zhongyuan University of Technology (ZUT), the former Zhengzhou Institute of Textile Technology (ZITT), has presently evolved into a multi-disciplinary university focusing on engineering, featuring textile and clothing, promoting coordinated development of such disciplines as engineering, management, liberal arts, sciences, economics and law. Located in Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan Province, ZUT is composed of three campuses: the South Campus, the North Campus, and the West Campus. It totally covers an area of 1,460mu, with the gross floor area of 572,000 square km and a picturesque environment. Since its foundation in 1955, ZITT had been supervised by the Ministry of Textile Industry until it was transferred to Henan Province in Sept., 1998, in accordance with the principle of “Jointly supervised by Central and Local Authorities, mainly by the Local Authorities”. In July, 2000, ZITT was renamed to Zhongyuan University of Technology (ZUT).
ZUT is composed of 20 teaching schools and departments: School of Textiles, School of Energy & Environment Engineering, School of Mechanical & Electronic Engineering, School of Fashion Technology, School of Art and Design, School of Electronic and Information Engineering, School of Economics and Management, School of Political Science and Law, Department of Political and Ideological Education, School of Journalism & Communication, School of Science, School of Materials & Chemical Engineering, School of Computer Science, School of Foreign Languages, School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Department of Physical Education, School of Continuing Education, The Asia Pacific International Institute, School of International Education, and School of Software. Accordingly, ZUT provides 49 undergraduate programs such as Textile Engineering, Clothing Design and Engineering, Architecture Environment and Equipment Engineering, Mechanical Design and Manufacturing and Automation, and Electronics and Information Engineering. Besides, it offers master programs of 8 first-class disciplines, as well as of 41 second-class disciplines. Moreover, it launches two master professional degrees in the categories of Engineering and Business Administration, including four spheres of Engineering. In addition, ZUT has the qualification to offer national college teachers’ in-service study for master degree program. Generally, it boasts 3 first-level and 14 second-level provincial key disciplines. It possesses research institutions at municipal and provincial levels, covering Key Lab of Functional Textile Materials of Henan Province, Engineering Lab of the Upgrade Super-hard Material tools, Research Center of Intelligentized Professional Virtual Instrument and Meter Engineering and Technology of Henan Province, College Open Lab of the Key Discipline of Functional Textile Material of Henan Province, College Research Center of Air Conditioner Energy Saving Technology of Henan Province, College Research Center of Precision Manufacturing Engineering Technology of Henan Province, Electrostatic Test Center of Henan Province, Research and Development Center of Textile and Clothing CAD of Henan Province, Humanities and Social Sciences of Henan Province, Research Center of Industrial Engineering of Henan Province, Zhengzhou Textile Engineering Technology Center, Key Lab of Network Security Assessment of Zhengzhou, as well as Key Lab and Cultivation Base of Fiber Forming and Modification of Henan Province.
The school library presently boasts a collection of over 1.97 million books, and 31 Chinese and foreign databases. ZUT has currently got about 30,000 registered students, including 18,794 undergraduates, 374 graduates, 10,680 students of adult education, and 25 overseas students. It has a faculty of 1463, with 926 full-time teachers, among whom 429 have got senior professional titles, and 181 with doctor’s degrees.
In the past few years, ZUT has successively been awarded a number of honorary titles such as Civilized Unit of Henan Province, Civilized University of Henan Province, Advanced Unit of Ideological and Political Work of Henan Province, National Advanced Community of College and its Neighboring Regions Comprehensive Treatment of Social Security by Central Committee of Public Security Commission. Aside from these honors, the school Labor Union was granted Model Home of Faculty by All China Federation of Trade Unions, the School Party Committee was awarded Five Virtues Party Committee of College from Henan in 2003 and 2008 respectively. Additionally, ZUT has been named by authority organizations as one of the fast growing universities of China, top 10 most favorable universities and top 10 most influential educational brands in Henan Province, and optimal universities for high school students from Henan Province.
Adhering to the academic virtues of “diligence, precision, enterprise and enlightenment,” and the school motto of “ceaseless self-improvement through extensive study and virtues preaching”, following the guidance of “National Education and Training Programs of Excellent Engineers”, taking talent cultivating as the ultimate goal and teaching as the priority, ZUT sticks to its development through high quality education and continuous teaching reform. Thus, it constantly strives to bring up advanced all-round talents with profound knowledge, outstanding ability and superior quality. According to the needs of economic and social development, the university carries out the Project of Undergraduate Education Quality and the Project Undergraduate Education Reform, emphasizes the capital construction in education, improves the mechanism of quality assurance and supervision, gives prominence to learning through practice, and extends the quality-oriented education. During the 11th “Five-Year Plan” session, 4 national featured specialties and 7 provincial featured specialties were conferred, 3 provincial teaching teams, 3 provincial demonstration centers of experimental teaching, and 10 provincial quality courses were established. Students are encouraged to participate in competitions of national levels, such as Contemporary Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling (CUMCM), National Undergraduate Electronic Design Contest, National English Contest for College Student锛�NECCS锛�, National College Student Contest in the Comprehensive Ability of Engineering Training, National Zhou Peiyuan Competition on Mechanics, National Fashion Design Competition for College Students, etc. Among those competitions, the students have won 130 prizes, including 21 first prizes, 26 second, and 47 third. With strong abilities, the students are very popular with the employing units and a high employment rate has been maintained for years. In 2005, ZUT passed through the undergraduate teaching assessment of the Ministry of Education and was invited to introduce experience nationwide. In 2006, it was rated Excellence in the ethical training evaluation co-held by the Work Committee of Colleges and Henan Department of Education.
ZUT highly values the strategy of invigorating the university through scientific research. Under this guidance, the university combines research closely with the development of the economy and the needs of the local industry, and enjoys a sustainable progress in this field. In the past 11th “Five-Year Plan” session, it undertook 41 national projects, including those supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and National Social Science Foundation of China, and Important National Science & Technology Specific Projects, 3 provincial public welfare programs and cooperation projects with the Chinese Academy of Science, and 323 provincial or ministerial S&T projects. In return, 25 awards of provincial or ministerial level or even higher, and more and more research fund have been harvested. 570-odd textbooks and other works have been published by the teaching faculty and more than 450 papers quoted by SCI, EI and IETP. A giant figural oil painting, Jiao Yulu, which ZUT took up as an artistic creation project of national historical theme, has been housed permanently by the National Art Gallery. The Henan float on parade at the 60th Anniversary of People’s Republic of China was also designed and partly built by the university. Moreover, the faculty designed and made the spring and summer garments for the working staff of Henan Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010. Three academic journals have been published, i.e., Journal of Zhongyuan University of Technology, Group Technology and Production Modernization, and Technology of Textile & Apparel, which has gained professional recognition in the disciplines.
ZUT has constantly been engaged in exchanges and cooperation, setting up friendly relationships and carrying out cooperation and academic exchanges with more than 30 universities in America, UK, Russia, France, South Korea, Sweden, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 7 collaborative education programs have been established jointly with The University of Manchester in Britain, UNITEC Institute of Technology in New Zealand, etc. It also has signed an agreement with The University of Manchester for the cultivation of master’s and doctoral degree students. Domestic-wised, the university jointly set up College of Information & Business with China Jiahong Holding Group, which was awarded the Advanced Independent College in China. Currently the college has more than 10,000 full-time students and is among the most popular independent colleges in Henan and China at large. Other collaborative education projects are also undergoing fast development, such as College of International Education, Asia-Pacific International Institute and School of Software. In 2010, the university was awarded Henan Advanced Unit of Introducing Intelligence from Overseas.
ZUT is now an active participant in and contributor to the construction of Central China Economic District under the guidance of Scientific Outlook on Development. By keeping up with the times and serving the revitalization of central China, it will forge ahead with the cause of education and scientific research, and strive to establish a domestically well-known engineering-featured multi-disciplinary university of the teaching-research type.