The golden autumn witnesses high school graduates’ achievements, embracing college freshmen with zeal. The opening ceremony for undergraduates, junior college students, postgraduates, and foreign students of Grade 2017 was kicked off on September 11, welcoming over 9,000 freshmen coming to SDUT for a fresh life.
Lv Chuanyi, Zhang Tiezhu, Yi Yuchen, Hu Xingyu, Liu Guohua, Wei Xiuting, and Yi Weiming from SDUT leadership, deans, and directors of the School of the International Education and the library made presence. Hu Xingyu, Deputy Secretary of SDUT’s Party Committee, presided over the ceremony.
The ceremony started in the sonorous singing of the national anthem.
President Zhang Tiezhu warmly welcomed freshmen of Grade 2017, sharing his understanding on the university. He briefly reviewed the history and achievements of SDUT. And then he proposed three hopes and requirements on how to make a fantastic journey at university and what life a university student should lead.
First, moral integrity should be cultivated while striving for an outstanding citizen with the socialist core value system. Moral integrity is the foundation of a brilliant life. Only those with moral integrity, the foundation of society, can embrace a brilliant life. The radical aim of education is to cultivate “good and kind-hearted people”. The university is an important period for moral experience, practice and growth. The cultivation of moral and character needs consistent practice. I hope students can temper you in learning, aiming at the role model of patriotic students, responsible online surfers, and visionary war wolves.
Second, discover the key to success by working hard, knowing how to learn, and integrating knowledge of different fields. The significance of study at university puts stress on both the increase of knowledge and deepening of experience. Students need to redefine and review your study and reconstruct your knowledge system. In the future, the society demands the talents who are capable of learning, thinking in depth, solving problems, and innovation. I hope students can break through the shackles of exams, going beyond the narrow mindset of regarding scores as the sole criterion. While seeking the truth and rules behind facts persistently, you build up thinking patterns of knowing and creating the world by integrating various mindsets of different disciplines, experiencing and reading extensively.
Third, accumulate energy persistently by cherishing time. To cherish life is human, but rarely do people cherish their time. What set us apart are efforts instead of I.Q. Many a little make a mickle. A gain in the wit results from a bit of effort every day; and an idler today leads to a beggar tomorrow. I expect a miracle finally comes to you as you cultivate the energy day in and day out for your fixed goal.
Professor Lan Yubin,the President’s special assistant, and Dean of the School of Agricultural Engineering and Food Science, proposed three expectations. First, hold a noble ideal in pursuit of prosperity of the Chinese nation, making contributions to the national rejuvenation; second, be practical with conviction as a winner in life, facing difficulties with the combatant spirit; third, learn to be tolerant, cherishing life with gratefulness to society.
Student representatives gave speeches, including Zhang Kai, Chairman of Student Union for Postgraduates and a postgraduate of Grade 2016 from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ju Zhihan, a freshman of Grade 2017 from the School of Civil and Architectural Engineering, and Sternley, a Russian student of Grade 2017 from the School of Literature, Journalism and Communication.
Finally, all freshmen made a solemn vow. Remember the historical mission to rejuvenate the Chinese nation by setting a great goal, working hard for knowledge and truth in practice under the guideline of the school motto “Integrity, Learning, Commitment, and Perfection”, and observing laws with the communal efforts.
The ceremony came to an end in the lofty song of You Accompany Me.
It is reported that SDUT has recruited 9,077 undergraduates and junior college students, 666 full-time postgraduates, 22 doctoral graduates, 6 foreign doctoral graduates, and 622 other foreign students.