Although the coronavirus outbreak disrupted the timetables of all the sectors throughout China, Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS) resumed classes online last Monday and restored academic activities. As the academic calendar marches on, PHBS held its first online faculty meeting of this spring semester on February 26, 2020. Over 70 faculty members from 11 countries and regions accessed the meeting through their computers.


PHBS Dean Hai Wen provided a detailed status report on PHBS, ranging from online teaching, student cultivation, dissertation supervision and academic research. He emphasized that faculty needed to tackle the challenges of online teaching and make sure lectures are well-received; advisors should provide guidance to students, care about their mental health, and keep good record of dissertation supervision on a regular basis. In addition, Dean Hai urged all the faculty to keep up with their academic research under current situation, and shared some studies as well as surveys on the social impact of virus outbreak conducted by some of our faculty members.
 
Associate Dean Professor Chu Chia-Shang further elaborated on several issues about online teaching and gave faculty some advice accordingly, including student feedback, attendance, and curriculum arrangements. Associate Dean Professor Wang Pengfei shared the latest updates on faculty recruitment: PHBS will welcome nine new faculty members with academic excellence and rich experience. He hoped that the school could maintain good momentum in this regard.
 
As one of the most internationalized schools in China, PHBS currently has more than 100 international students from 42 countries, and over 30 percent of its faculty members are international. The coronavirus crisis made it impossible for faculty and students to come back to the campus on schedule, but internet keeps them connected. As long as the epidemic continues unabated, it is necessary for universities to avoid onsite teaching and reopen campuses according to further notice.