Why did Chen Fangruo return to his alma mater to lead SJTU’s Antai College of Economics and Management after 25 years of teaching at Columbia Business School? In our interview, Chen provided a clear answer: “I want to bridge the traditional gap between theory and practice in business education, explore new pathways for business schools, and build a world-class institution.”

What drives this mission? Chen shared a revealing anecdote from his time as a tenured chair professor at Columbia. When approached by media seeking expert commentary on the U.S. automotive industry, he declined, lacking deep industry expertise. Surprisingly, he found that none of his colleagues at this top-tier business school could authoritatively comment on the sector. “This revelation deeply affected me. It highlighted how severely business schools had become disconnected from industry practice. This isn’t a new problem – it’s a persistent one.”

“I empathize with business leaders who criticize business schools. I want to change this ‘ivory tower’ mentality,” Chen explained.

In 2018, after 33 years of studying and teaching in the United States, Chen returned to his alma mater as Dean of Antai. “I believe Antai should aspire to become a world-class business school by breaking traditional boundaries and leading innovation. The key is bridging the theory-practice divide.”

How to achieve this transformation? Chen decided to be a pioneer, introducing “industry research” as the entry point. His strategy of “cross-integration of knowledge and practice” aims to create an ecosystem where academic research and industry studies complement each other, charting a path toward global leadership. This vision led to the establishment of SJTU’s Industry Research Institute in 2018, followed by the Shenzhen Industry Research Institute two years later. Over nearly six years, they’ve built over 30 research teams covering finance, energy, manufacturing, services, and distribution sectors.

In 2023, Chen set himself an ambitious industry research goal: to visit every lighthouse factory in China. Within a year, he led research visits to nearly 30 such facilities across multiple provinces, gaining deeper insights into China’s smart manufacturing innovations in products, management, and business models. These experiences strengthened his team’s resolve to transform business education from its foundation.

“Excellence starts from within – that’s crucial. We’re focused on transforming our core asset – our faculty,” Chen emphasized. “Why conduct enterprise research? Why integrate theory with practice? Because theory without practical application is pseudo-theory, and teaching such theory does students a disservice. We’re building our foundation: changing ourselves before we change the world!”

Progress is evident. This June, Antai established the 21st Century Multinational Enterprise Strategy Research Institute in partnership with CATL. This collaboration provides a concrete platform for integrating industrial development with business education. Chen hopes this will advance multinational enterprise development while exploring innovative talent development models. A new chapter in business education reform is unfolding with pioneering spirit.