On September 9, 2022, QMES held an online opening ceremony for the 2022 freshmen at the West Building of Graduate Studies, Youyi Campus, NPU. The ceremony was attended by Fan Xiaoli, Dean of QMES, Dai Fuping, Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice Dean of QMES, Andrew Bushby, Executive Vice Dean of QMES, Cheng Yin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice Dean of QMES, freshman counsellors, class advisors, faculty representatives and all of the freshmen of 2022. The ceremony was chaired by Dai Fuping.
First of all, Colin Bailey, President of Queen Mary University of London, expressed his welcome to the freshmen and briefly introduced the educational status, discipline advantages and scientific research strength of QMUL. He said thatQMESbroughttogether the educational advantages of both QMUL and NPU and took the aim of cultivating multi-disciplinary talents with global competence, which accounted for the excellent results achieved by the first two batches of QMES graduates who have studied at the first-class universities at home and abroad. He hoped that all freshmen would follow the example of these outstanding seniors, work hard and strive for self-improvement, and wished that everyone would have an opportunity to exchange and study in London.
Fan Xiaoli, Dean of QMES, extended her warm welcome and congratulations to all the freshmen of 2022 on behalf of the faculty and students of QMES. She then introduced the overview of QMES, including the status of education, talents cultivation, and students development. She stressed that QMES actively responds to the national strategy for education opening-up in the new era, the overall development plan of education and the “Double First-Class” initiative (construction plan of world-class universities and first-class disciplines) of NPU, in order to implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education.QMES brought in advanced foreign educational concepts and models and established a new model of talents cultivation, aiming at improving students’ political discernment, learning ability, innovation and creativity capability and global competence.
The first two batches of graduates had broad prospects for further study and employment at home and abroad. She expected that the freshmen of 2022 could adapt to college life as soon as possible, complete various academic tasks, and strive to become compound innovative talents who are of international vision, strong professional competitiveness, high comprehensive quality, lifelong learning ability, familiar with international rules, and have a solid foundation of professional knowledge and humanity attainment.
Andrew Bushby, Executive Vice Dean of QMES, elaborated the innovative educational concepts and modelsof QMES in detail. He put forward his expectations for the freshmen: setting up lofty ideals, not being afraid of difficulties and obstacles and actively finding an explicit direction for their future. He hoped that they could play their role in the team, cooperate with each other, and solve problems together to build a “community of students” model. Thereby, students are able to learn from each other, make progress together, and actively expand their international horizon by making full use of the educational advantages of both sides, and striving to become top-notch innovative talents with an international vision.
Ma Zhiheng from Cohort 2021and Peng Feiyang from Cohort 2022 delivered speeches as student representatives. Based on his personal experience, Ma Zhiheng put forward suggestions on college study and life for the freshmen of 2022, so as to help them adapt to college life. Peng Feiyangintroduced his personal academic planning, his expectations towards full English learning environment, and his ambition of becoming an international innovative talent. He appealed to all the students of 2022 to stay committed to their pursuits towards the truth and work together to start a new journey of life at QMES.
After this opening ceremony, the freshmen of 2022 will have a deeper understanding of QMES and will make full use of the high-quality educational resources and international scientific research platforms of both sides to improve themselves and strive to become a compound innovative personnel with moral grounding, intellectual ability, physical vigor, aesthetic sensibility and work skills.
Text: Tong Miaomiao
Translator: Li Qianqian
Photo: Ma Huili
Editor: Wu Sijia
Review: Fan Xiaoli
