The 2022 welcome ceremony was held in the Auditorium, International Campus, Zhejiang University at 8:30 a.m. on September 17. Faculty and administrators welcomed the new students to the Zhejiang UIUC institute and encouraged them to participate in all aspects of the curriculum. Eyes lit up with excitement and ambition to conquer the sky like eagles, the incoming students are eager to welcome their time of seeking truth and building dreams with passion at ZJUI.
Prof. HE Lianzhen, Vice President of ZJU and Prof. William Bernhard, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Designate of UIUC attended the ceremony and delivered wonderful speeches to an audience in China and the United States via an online webinar platform . Prof. Reitumetse O. Mabokela, Vice Provost for International Affairs and Global Strategies, Prof. Sammer Jones, Director of International Affairs, Prof. Rashid Bashir, Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering, Prof. Philippe Geubelle, Executive Associate Dean of the Grainger College of Engineering and other heads of the Grainger College of Engineering and faculty representatives attended online. Prof. OUYANG Hongwei, Dean of International Campus, CAI Quan, Executive Deputy Secretary, the CPC of International Campus, Vice Dean of International Campus, WANG Yufeng, Deputy Secretary of the CPC of International Campus, secretary of the commission for discipline inspection, Prof. WU Jian ,Vice Dean of International Campus, Prof. ZHAO Peng, Vice Dean and Coordinator of the School of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. CHEN Hong, Coordinator of the College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Prof. SHU Jiangpeng, Deputy Head of Department of Civil Engineering, College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, and representatives of relevant colleges in ZJU, as well as heads in the relevant departments of the campus attended the ceremony.
Prof. Der-Horng LEE, Dean of ZJUI, Prof. Jianming JIN, Executive Dean of ZJUI, Prof. MA Hao, Vice Dean of ZJUI, Prof. WANG Hongwei, Vice Dean of ZJUI, Prof. CHEN Xiqun, Vice Dean of ZJUI, ZJUI faculty members of fall semester, staff, students, and parents attended the ceremony online and offline.
First, Prof. HE Lianzhen extended a warm welcome to all the freshmen, as well as gratitude and greetings to our partners at UIUC and parents online. She pointed out that a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation are flourishing and reshaping the world order and future pattern. It is our unswerving goal to cultivate outstanding engineering talents. In the future, we hope that all the freshmen can clarify their academic aspirations, bravely climb the peak of scientific research, insist on independent thinking, actively contribute to the society by integrated innovation to lead the future and overcome challenges in the cross-innovation environment, and show their style of truth seeking in the unique international cooperative education stage.
Prof. William Bernhard said that the cultural context of the two universities has been intertwined since Prof. Coching Chu, the old president of Zhejiang University, went to study at UIUC in 1910. Now, with the construction of ZJUI, a pure partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness, cooperation, and win-win has been gradually formed. ZJUI has become a pioneer in the international engineering education arena with the traditional advantages of the two universities, and its emphasis on innovation, project-oriented curriculum design, and rich scientific research and practice experience. He also wished all freshmen to fulfill their dreams and find a place they truly belong.
Then Prof. Rashid Bashir welcomed the freshmen and their parents. He was awesomely delighted to witness previous ZJUI students inheriting the innovative genes of the Grainger College of Engineering in UIUC and continuing the incredible legend. He hoped that all the new students could bear the mission of the era with their own strengths, bloom their youthful style, benefit the whole planet with engineering innovation, and contribute to world progress and social change.
Finally, Prof. Der-Horng LEE said that ZJUI, which was founded upon the two universities' shared educational ideals, is a flagship achievement of the 20th anniversary of cooperation between the two universities. With the support of partners, students' parents, and all sectors of society, ZJUI has made great progress in pioneering and innovation. Three consecutive cohorts of graduates have handed in satisfactory answers to their four-year’s study. This year also ushered in the largest group of new students since the establishment of ZJUI. He hoped that all the new students would be confident, dare to try and make mistakes, constantly explore, and actively pursue, and take the world as the stage and the world as our responsibility.
▲ Representatives of 2022 freshmen and parents
XU Ruiling, the representative of 2022 freshmen, shared the gains and joys since joining ZJUI, and expressed her determination to embrace the world, pursue dreams bravely, improve herself, and change the future here. On behalf of the parents, YAO Wendao's mother expressed her pride as a parent, and at the same time, she also expressed her ardent hopes to the students who were just entering the university and delivered her expectations of persevering in seeking truth and innovation, learning to express and listen, knowing how to respect and coexist with peers. She also wished for a future full of possibilities for all the students.
After the introduction of the faculty members for the fall semester of 2022, all incoming freshmen flew paper planes communicating their dreams and wishes. Like the eagle strikes the sky, the dream sets sail, with good wishes and hopes, and the freshmen’s journey of seeking truth began there.
