But standing in the shoes of the president of Xilin University of Technology, he was acutely aware that the proposal was also hugely beneficial for his own university and happened to hit a weak spot.
Improving the overall quality of undergraduate education was not something that could happen overnight.
Even if they wanted to actively recruit talent, those century-old universities certainly had their means to retain people.
Not to mention that everyone was now sufficiently wary of Xilin University of Technology.
In plain terms, it was just that Qiao Ze's efficiency was a bit too high.
The school's development simply couldn't keep up with Qiao Ze's pace, which was why there were so many issues.
However, on the flip side, if Qiao Ze had really been snatched up by Huaqing or Yanbei first, there probably wouldn't be so many problems.
In short, this collaboration was indeed advantageous for Xilin University of Technology and was truly complementary.
After all, if you truly want to break into the ranks of super universities, the reputation in the first few years is incredibly important.
Attracting a group of the best students, but falling short in undergraduate education, could cause a stir online among students, affecting future admissions involuntarily.
At the same time, Xilin University of Technology could also leverage the brand of Yanbei University to expand its influence.
Most importantly, having more friends would ultimately lead to more paths.
Thus, Chen Yuanzhi became interested and took the initiative to ask, "How exactly would we cooperate on undergraduate education?"
"It would be a comprehensive collaboration. Students can participate in exchanges, as can professors, and even our key labs can share and learn from each other. Xilin University of Technology also has excellent undergraduate student research training programs, right? We could put outstanding students into a database, and students from both sides could apply to take courses at the other school."
Although there's some distance, if we take a school year or semester as a unit, letting top students engage with the courses and laboratories they are interested in is always beneficial—and might even broaden their horizons. Likewise, the cultivation of graduate students is similar."
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yuanzhi nodded and said, "That's acceptable, but we need to set aside some time to discuss the more detailed measures."
Liu Ping immediately struck while the iron was hot, "President Chen has foresight. We can go to Yanbei after the meeting today and discuss the framework in detail first, then seek the opinions of professors with rich experience in various disciplines, aiming to finalize the complete collaboration plan soon and officially start implementing it in the new semester."
Okay, actually Chen Yuanzhi knew that the president of Yanbei had stooped to discuss these matters with him and was probably feeling aggrieved.
But since things had developed to this point and it was a win-win situation, he had no choice but to agree, nodding, "Alright, the last time I visited Yanbei University was eight years ago. I've been meaning to see what changes there have been to Yanbei's campus."
"Then it's decided," Liu Ping said with a smile.
"By the way, if we reach a collaboration, what about Huaqing..." Chen Yuanzhi asked, trailing off with implications.
"Huaqing... well, in the field of engineering, many areas overlap with Xilin University of Technology, and their artificial intelligence specialty classes conflict with the future development of Xilin University of Technology, there are no complementary aspects, right? In the future, competition might increase."
"Besides, students from Xilin University of Technology would also be able to take classes at Huaqing. We have agreements in place. And who can say for sure how things will develop in the future? Let's just take it one step at a time, right?"
Chen Yuanzhi nodded in understanding.
It all boiled down to the saying 'Better one die than both of us'.
If both were collaborating, it would be as if none were.
The pattern of two super universities in Huaxia was something everyone could accept.
With three, it would be too many; there weren't enough outstanding students for three institutions to share.
It would be preferable if one slowly declined to a first-tier university, maintaining a dynamic balance between the top and trailing universities.
For Yanbei University, it wasn't possible to monopolize the lead anyway, so it didn't matter who succeeded.
For Xilin University of Technology, this represented recognition from a top university.
With this, Chen Yuanzhi could only silently commend Qiao Ze's prowess in his heart.
Not just because he managed to make the head of a top-tier university take the initiative to be amiable, but because Qiao Ze stood firm under pressure, staying in Xilin and leaving those highly expectant elites with no choice but to let things take their course.
Without exaggeration, if Qiao Ze were to stay in Xilin indefinitely, positions in Xilin City's government would become hot commodities, probably turning into a place for gold-plating one's resume.
A super university plus Qiao Ze's research institute would have a tremendous impact on the economy.
Take, for example, the key project underway, a large-scale materials production and sales base led by Xilin Licheng. If Qiao Ze remained in Xilin, Chen Yuanzhi hardly dared to estimate what scale this base might grow to.
The siphoning effect of Silicon Valley on talents and the economy had long been proven.
Xilin already subtly had the capital to set sights on Silicon Valley.
Yes, one person could stand up against the entirety of Silicon Valley...
"So, it's settled then. After today's meeting, just take my car, and we'll head to Yanbei together," Liu Ping said.
Seeing Chen Yuanzhi agree to his proposal, Liu Ping sealed the deal.
Having reached a verbal agreement with Liu Ping led to Chen Yuanzhi having virtually no desire to argue during the free discussion that afternoon.
Mainly because his mindset had begun to transcend.
Once he viewed the development of Xilin from a broader perspective, mere enrollment affairs didn't seem all that significant.
Of course, this was also because, after Liu Ping left, Chen Yuanzhi checked his phone to see what was trending online about Dou Dou.