Founded in 1958, Jishou University operates across Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and Zhangjiajie City in Hunan Province. It is a comprehensive university directly under the jurisdiction of Hunan Province and the only comprehensive university in the Wuling Mountain region. The university is jointly built by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission and the Hunan Provincial People's Government. It is authorized to confer doctoral degrees, designated as a high-level university under construction in Hunan Province, a "Double First-Class" construction university in Hunan Province, and a university authorized to recommend outstanding fresh undergraduate graduates for admission to master's degree programs without taking the national entrance examination.

The university offers a complete range of academic disciplines. It currently has 23 teaching colleges, 49 first-level disciplines, and 75 undergraduate programs covering 12 major academic disciplines. It has 5 provincial key disciplines (including 1 advantageous and characteristic key discipline), 1 provincial first-class domestic construction discipline, 1 provincial first-class domestic cultivation discipline, and 2 key disciplines of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. The university has 2 post-doctoral research mobile stations and 1 "Collaborative R&D Center for Post-Doctoral Research Mobile Stations." It offers 3 first-level doctoral degree programs, 18 first-level master's degree programs, and 20 categories of professional master's degree authorization. The university has 3 national-level characteristic majors, 1 national-level undergraduate comprehensive reform pilot major, 1 major under the "Excellent Doctor Education and Training Program," and 1 major under the "Excellent Agricultural and Forestry Talent Education and Training Program." It has 36 first-class undergraduate program construction points, including 16 national-level first-class undergraduate program construction points, and 84 first-class undergraduate courses, including 11 national-level first-class courses. The university has more than 60 national, provincial, and ministerial-level teaching and research platforms, including a National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory, a National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center, and a National Engineering Practice Education Center.

The university currently has 1,876 faculty and staff members, of whom 1,435 are full-time teachers. There are more than 650 faculty members with senior professional titles and nearly 800 doctoral and master's supervisors. The university has 13 experts receiving the "State Council Special Government Allowance," 1 national-level candidate of the "New Century Ten Million Talent Project," 4 recipients of the Ministry of Education's "New Century Excellent Talent Support Program," 1 recipient of the Cultural Celebrity and "Four Batches" Talent Project, 1 outstanding young and middle-aged expert in ethnic studies of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, and 56 recipients of various provincial honors including the Hunan "121 Talent Project," "Hunan Provincial Government Special Allowance" experts, Huxiang Youth Talents, Hunan Furong Scholars, Hunan High-Level Talent Gathering Project recipients, Hunan Cross-Century Academic Leaders, Hunan "Furong Teaching Masters," and Hunan Outstanding Young and Middle-Aged Experts. The university has 1 national-level teaching team and 2 provincial-level science and technology innovation teams. Among its faculty, there is 1 National Advanced Educator, 7 National Outstanding Teachers, 1 National Advanced Individual in Teacher Ethics, 1 National Model Teacher, 1 recipient of the Xu Teli Education Award, 1 recipient of the Zeng Xianzi Education Fund Award, and 1 recipient of the Baosteel Education Fund Award.

The university currently has 36,000 full-time students, forming a full-spectrum talent cultivation system covering junior college, preparatory, undergraduate, master's, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels. The university has built a "Character Development Education" system centered on "curriculum leadership, environmental cultivation, practical training, and self-shaping." Students are strong in hands-on skills and actively engaged in social practice activities. They have won Grand Prizes and First Prizes in competitions such as the China "Internet+" College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the National "Challenge Cup" College Students' Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition. The university's ethnic minority art troupe has performed multiple times in the United States, Hong Kong, and other places, generating wide influence. The university has repeatedly been awarded the title of National Advanced Unit for College Students' "Three Rural" Activities and "Outstanding University for Western Program Projects." Over its 67 years of operation, the university has cultivated more than 380,000 high-quality talents for society.

The university places great emphasis on serving local economic and social development and has undertaken a large number of national and local major research projects, forming its own academic research characteristics. Social science research focuses on traditional ethnic sports, ethnic ecological culture, ethnic history, and regional economics. Research achievements in differential philosophy, ethnology, anthropology, ethnic art, Shen Congwen studies, cultural and creative industries, and tourism economics have had considerable influence both domestically and internationally. Natural science research focuses on the development, utilization, and protection of characteristic resources in the Wuling Mountain region. The university has proposed the "Three Belts" theory, developed the "Miliang No. 1" kiwifruit variety, and achieved a series of influential research results in areas represented by eucommia, kiwifruit, and giant salamander in agricultural and aquatic products, as well as in mineral products, machinery, and electronic information.

The "Xiangxi Ethnic Culture Expo Park," composed of six major cultural venues including the Huang Yongyu Art Museum and the Shen Congwen Memorial Hall, has been approved as a "National Science Education Base," a "National Humanities and Social Science Popularization Base," a "Hunan Provincial Patriotism Education Base," and a "Hunan Provincial Youth Education Base."

The university is qualified to enroll international students as well as students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. It has carried out cooperative exchanges with dozens of universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia, and other countries, as well as in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. The university has implemented international cooperation and exchange programs including faculty overseas study and research, as well as student overseas exchange and study-abroad programs.

The university has successively been awarded honorary titles such as "National Model Collective for Ethnic Unity and Progress" and "National May Fourth Red Flag Youth League Committee." Party and state leaders including Zhu Rongji, Zeng Qinghong, Wei Jianxing, Jia Qinglin, and Liu Yunshan have visited the university to provide guidance. Former Premier Zhu Rongji highly praised that "Jishou University is the pride of Hunan." Former Vice President Zeng Qinghong affirmed that "Jishou University has special value." Former Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin happily stated during his visit that "Seeing Jishou University means seeing the hope for poverty alleviation and prosperity in the Wuling mountainous area."

In the new era, Jishou University is seizing opportunities, enhancing its connotation, and striving to build itself into a distinctive, high-level, teaching and research-oriented comprehensive university.

 

吉首大学创办于1958年，在湖南省湘西土家族苗族自治州和张家界市两地办学，是湖南省属综合性大学，也是武陵山片区唯一的综合性大学。学校是国家民委与省人民政府共建高校、博士学位授权高校、湖南省高水平建设大学、湖南省“双一流”建设高校、推荐优秀应届本科毕业生免试攻读硕士学位研究生普通高校。

学校学科门类齐全，现有教学学院23个，一级学科49个，本科专业75个，覆盖了12大学科门类。有省重点学科5个（其中优势特色重点学科1个）、省国内一流建设学科1个、省国内一流培育学科1个、国家民委重点学科2个；有博士后科研流动站2个，“博士后科研流动站协作研发中心”1个；有一级学科博士点3个，一级学科硕士点18个，专业硕士学位授权类别20个；有国家级特色专业3个，国家级本科专业综合改革试点专业1个，“卓越医生教育培养计划”专业1个，“卓越农林人才教育培养计划”专业1个；有一流本科专业建设点36个，其中国家级一流本科专业建设点16个；有一流本科课程84门，其中国家级一流课程11门；有国家地方联合工程实验室、国家级实验教学示范中心、国家级工程实践教育中心等国家和省部级教学、科研平台共60余个。

学校现有教职员工1876人，其中专任教师1435人，高级职称650余人，博士生导师、硕士生导师近800人。“国务院政府特殊津贴”专家13人，“新世纪百干万人才工程”国家级人选1人，教育部“新世纪优秀人才支持计划”4人，文化名家暨“四个一批”人才工程1人、国家民委民族问题研究优秀中青年专家1人、湖南省“121人才工程”人选、享受“湖南省政府特殊津贴”专家、湖湘青年英才、湖南省芙蓉学者、湖湘高层次人才聚集工程人选、湖南省跨世纪学术带头人、湖南省“芙蓉教学名师”、湖南省优秀中青年专家等共56人；有国家级教学团队1个，省级科技创新团队2个；有全国先进教育工作者1人，全国优秀教师7人，全国师德先进个人1人，全国模范教师1人，徐特立教育奖获得者1人，曾宪梓教育基金奖获得者1人，宝钢教育基金奖获得者1人。

学校现有全日制学生3.6万人，形成了涵盖专科、预科、本科、硕士、博士、博士后的全层次人才培养体系。学校构建了“课程主导、环境熏陶、实践砺炼、自我塑造”为体系的“立人教育”体系，学生动手能力强、社会实践活动多，在中国“互联网+”大学生创新创业大赛、全国“挑战杯”大学生课外学术科技作品竞赛等各类比赛、竞赛中荣获特等奖、一等奖。大学生少数民族艺术团多次赴美国、香港等地演出，影响广泛。学校多次获全国大学生“三下乡”活动先进单位和“西部计划项目优秀高校”称号。办学67年来，为社会培养各类高素质人才38万余人。

学校注重服务地方经济社会发展，承担了一大批国家与地方重大科研项目，学术研究形成了自身特色。社会科学研究以民族传统体育、民族生态文化、民族历史、区域经济为重点，差异哲学、民族学、人类学、民族艺术、沈从文研究、文化创意产业、旅游经济等研究成果在国内外有较大影响。自然科学研究以武陵山片区特色资源开发、利用与保护为重点，提出了“三带”理论，研发了“米良一号”猕猴桃品种，在以杜仲、猕猴桃、大鲵为代表的农、水产品，以及矿产品、机械、电子信息等领域，取得了一系列有影响力的科研成果。

学校打造的由黄永玉艺术博物馆、沈从文纪念馆等六大文化场馆组成的“湘西民族文化博览园”，获批为“全国科普教育基地”“全国人文社会科学普及基地”“湖南省爱国主义教育基地”“湖南省青少年教育基地”。

学校拥有招收外国留学生及港澳台学生资格，与美国、英国、韩国、澳大利亚等国家和港澳台地区的数十所高校开展了合作交流。实施了教师出国（境）研修、学生出国（境）交流及交换学习等国际合作交流项目。

学校先后获得“全国民族团结进步模范集体”“全国五四红旗团委”等荣誉称号。党和国家领导人朱镕基、曾庆红、尉健行、贾庆林、刘云山等先后来校视察指导工作。国务院原总理朱镕基高度称赞“吉首大学是湖南的骄傲”，国家原副主席曾庆红肯定“吉首大学具有特殊价值”，全国政协原主席贾庆林在视察学校时高兴地说“看到了吉首大学，就看到了武陵山区脱贫致富的希望”。

进入新时代，吉首大学正在抢抓机遇，提升内涵，努力将学校建成特色鲜明的高水平教学研究型综合性大学。