Recently, the inaugural award ceremony for Outstanding Graduate Supervisor Teams and Outstanding Graduate Supervisors, organized by the China Graduate Supervisor Development Consortium, was held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The “Innovative Talent Cultivation Team for the New Era in the Field of Forestry Engineering,” led by Academician Li Jian, received the title of “Outstanding Graduate Supervisor Team.” At the same time, Professor Li Fengri received the title of “Outstanding Graduate Supervisor.” Among all the award-winning teams and individuals, 54% were teams led by academicians or were academicians themselves.

Established in June 2025 under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, the China Graduate Supervisor Development Consortium is a collaborative organization dedicated to developing graduate supervisors. Nineteen “985 Project” universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University, serve as chair institutions, and 79 “Double First-Class” universities serve as council members. The secretariat is based at Harbin Institute of Technology. The Consortium is China’s first nationwide platform dedicated to optimizing graduate supervisor development mechanisms, enhancing supervisors’ educational capabilities, and supporting the high-quality development of the graduate supervisor community.

This selection marked the first nationwide evaluation of outstanding graduate supervisor teams and supervisors since the Consortium's establishment. The competition drew widespread attention within the academic community and was highly competitive. After institutional nominations, material reviews, expert evaluations, and panel assessments, a total of 40 Outstanding Graduate Supervisor Teams and 40 Outstanding Graduate Supervisors were selected nationwide.

Our university’s recognition amid such strong competition not only honors the long-standing commitment of the award recipients to graduate education and talent cultivation but also demonstrates the remarkable achievements our university has made in deepening graduate education reform and strengthening supervisor development over the years. Taking this opportunity, the university will further leverage the exemplary and leading role of outstanding supervisors, promote high standards of professional ethics, stimulate the vitality of the supervisor community, and continue advancing the high-quality development of graduate education, to cultivate more high-level talents with both professional competence and moral integrity in service of national strategic needs and regional economic and social development.