Zhixin College is one of the newest residential colleges at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and is now in the loving hands of Professor Shi Jianghong. As the second dean of Zhixin College, she has worked hard in vigorously promoted the growth of the College. She will continue to contribute to the development of the SUSTech talent pipeline. Founded in 2016, Zhixin College has grown into a large family of 702 students and 60 tutors. Zhixin College has become a united team with a unique training culture.

Under the leadership of Dean Shi Jianghong, Zhixin College has developed its culture into one that encourages independence. As students enter a new stage of their lives, they are encouraged to create their own skill sets and perspectives on life. She believes that a university education is vital to personal development, focusing on improving their independence. The residential colleges play an essential role as the second home of the students and must encourage students to look after their physical, mental, educational and emotional health.

Zhixin College is committed to cultivating a passion for societal progress in its students. By integrating personal development with societal progress, the future leaders being developed by Zhixin College will have positive morals and values that support the development of society, perfect for the needs of the Greater Bay Area. Dean Shi Jianghong believes that SUSTech students are exceptionally talented and will have enormous responsibilities in the future. They need to learn how to handle those responsibilities.

Dean Shi Jianghong is a firm believer in the cultivation and application of skill sets to master new knowledge. The process of education supports the nation, so SUSTech students will become the future leaders of academia, business and research in the new era. It is her belief that SUSTech provides the environment for students to excel in their chosen fields.

Every year, about one thousand students travel from across China and around the world to create a bright new story at SUSTech. They wave their parents goodbye, travel long journeys by train and plane to Shenzhen, to set new goals in their lives, adapt to the new environment, and form new habits.

With any such journey, parents are likely to be concerned for their children, and Dean Shi Jianghong is wholly sympathetic to that situation. To account for that, she encourages the students to live a full life, getting involved in many activities while talking to parents to explain what is happening on campus. This multi-faceted communications strategy ensures happy students and calm parents.

As a life tutor of Zhixin College, Shi Jianghong was affectionately known as “Mother of Zhixin,” for her careful approach to the students in her care. She takes an active interest in the pastoral care for her students to ensure that their physical, mental and emotional well-being is maintained. “In my opinion, the students will have just left home, so life tutors are a critical link between the students and their family. Strict discipline is not needed to head down any particular path, it is more important to gently guide them to their own direction.”

Dean Shi Jianghong focuses on the training of the students in so many different aspects. It is not her sense of responsibility that drives her, but rather her love and care for her students. They are not mutually exclusive; they are, in fact, inseparable. She will remain popular among students for years to come, as the Dean of Zhixin College.