The 6 Memorable Moments at SUSTech 

Getting to Know SUSTech & Finding Your Path

President’s speech on the 2017 convocation ceremony

President Chen Shiyi

September 10, 2017

Dear 2017 Freshmen, Distinguished Guests, Faculty members and Fellow students,

Good morning everyone!

Today is the 33rd Teachers’ Day. First of all, on behalf of the university I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Teachers’ Day.

Today, this convocation welcomes the incoming class of 2017 to Southern University of Science and Technology. There are 1003 undergraduate students and 465 graduate students from 22 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions of China, as well as 18 international students from nine countries. Let us all welcome our freshmen members to join the SUSTech family. Congratulations!

I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to you for becoming a member of the most promising innovative research university in China – Southern University of Science and Technology, for becoming the citizens of the Innovation City – Shenzhen, and for becoming a witness and a pioneer in the advance of higher education reform in China.

Two years and eight months ago, nearly a thousand days and nights, I came to this fabulous campus and gained a lot of memorable moments. Today, I want to pick six pictures to share my experience and feelings with you.

The First Moment: To Be A Better You

Here is the first picture.

It is said that this picture is widely circulated. It is very common to see students kiss their president during the degree conferring session, but it’s relatively rare for a university president to give a big kiss to one of them. I feel so happy to share the memories with my students. Like today’s convocation ceremony, evey year’s commecement ceremony is one of the happiest days in my life, for having the opportunity to shake hands with all the graduates and to award the diploma. This is the time for the graduates to embrace a new future. I feel honored to be a teacher at this moment.

The young man in the picture, called Feng Yuanxiang, is a graduate from the class of 2013. He is a student from Taizhou in Zhejiang province, where I come from. We recruited 20 students that year from Zhejiang province and he ranked relatively far down the list. After four years study at SUSTech, his GPA reached 3.83, he won a national scholarship and published three SCI papers. He is now pursuing his doctorate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He told me that his dream is to be a future leader with the courage, enthusiasm, vitality and perseverance gained from SUSTech.

Feng Yuanxiang’s story tells us that SUSTech is a different university. It boasts its very own 6-3-1 student recruitment model. In China, after the students took the Chinese college entrance examination, whether they ranked among the province’s top 200, or 5000, once they are admitted to SUSTech, they are all standing at the same starting line.

The future of each student represents the future of SUSTech. Student-centered education is one of the essential philosophies that we believe in. By providing a variety of resources, we place more emphasis on the individuality of students and help them to realize their potential. I hope all of you could try your best during your college years, and realize your dream here.

The Second Moment: Like Knows Like

Here is the second picture.

On the left hand side in the picture, Professor Deng Weiwei is standing beside me. He is a young and handsome vice chair, from the department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering. He recently became an online celebrity, for he wrote an article entitled “Full Record: On the American Tenure professor’s return to China”, which recorded his 15 years’ work and life experience in the United States.

I remember Deng once said, “ Joining SUSTech is a ‘once in a lifetime’ decision”. I totally agree with him. A few days ago, we welcomed another academician from Canada to join us, let us all welcome Professor Wang Quan.

Many people ask me the reasons why there are so many high-level talents who joined SUSTech. I think that it is our aspiration and mission of pursuing a world-class research university that has attracted them. Let us work together to create a world-class university with Chinese characteristics.

The Third Moment: A Special Gift

Here is the third picture.

This photo is a gift from Professor Yu Dapeng, an academician of the CAS, to the Shenzhen Municipal Government. It shows the world’s largest graphene single crystal. It is a special gift because it shows the Quantum Science and Engineering Institute’s gratitude to Shenzhen Municipal Government and SUSTech’ strong support.

SUSTech owns a lot of world-class experts and talents, like Professor Yu Dapeng, who brings world-class scientific results, with a strong academic background. Here, the talents will continue to explore the scientific forefront. Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship are the three pillars of SUSTech. We believe that research is the fundamental foundation of innovation. I hope all the students grasp the unparalleled opportunities here to strive for excellence.

The Fourth Moment: Let’s be friends!

 This photo dates from October 11 2016. I attended the tutor’s meeting held by the Shuli Residential College as a tutor. After the meeting, I exchanged pleasantries with the young students and we added each other on WeChat. My contact list is full of students on WeChat, and I often receive messages from them. The establishment of the Residental College is the embodiment of a student-centered philosophy, and is an important part of the education mode. Last week, the university held a strategic seminar laying out the blueprint on how to make SUSTech become one of the best. The first topic we discussed was about students and Residential Colleges. We hope to build a student-centered work system that will be compatible with high-level universities, upgrade our academies, and continue to cultivate top creative talents with “patriotic sentiment, global vision, comprehensive quality and innovative abilities”.

The Fifth Moment: SUSTecher, let’s create a better future

The next one is the fifth photo.

You may see this as the second phase project of the campus development. But in my opinion, it is also a symbol of the rapid development of the university. The second phase of the campus will cover an area of 513,000 square meters, and will include the College of Sciences, College of Engineering, School of business, Centre of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as a public teaching building, an academic exchange center and a large number of buildings and supporting projects around the campus, with an expected completion date of end of 2019.

Although it may be the source of inconvenience for you, please understand and support us during this time. You can be sure that very soon you will see a new and more beautiful campus, with the most comfortable, convenient and pleasant living environment that we can imagine.

This summer, our senior leadership team did not rest, we even worked overtime for you to create better living and learning environment for everyone. In this campus, you can feel the original Shenzhen spirit of reform and opening up in full swing, and an incredible entrepreneurial atmosphere, which are important ideals of our emerging SUSTech spirit.

The Sixth Moment: Keep The Campus Clean & Start Now

For the last set of pictures, what I want to show is our love for our campus. This one was taken while I was walking around, and I believe everyone can see how clean it is kept, we want to create “the cleanest, greenest, most beautiful campus”. I live on campus, and the most enjoyable time for me every day is just walking around it. I’ve taken the habit of picking up cigarette ends, pieces of paper on the floor and other litter and throwing them into the garbage cans when I’m walking. I think each university is different in its spirit and culture, and the spirit and culture flows in the university, in each brick, each tree and everywhere you look around.

Do you remember this year after your college entrance examination, I sent you an invitation to be “Southward bound”. I would like to ask you what you would do first if you were in charge here. Some people might answer that we should build the best buildings, others will say to “recruit the best professors”, some might even suggest we “build the best Lab.” …. But I hope that everyone can start with the small things around us and start with taking care of our beautiful campus. As the saying goes, “If one doesn’t sweep his house, why sweep the world”?

Dear students, for you it is the beginning of a new, wonderful chapter of your life. Shenzhen is a hot spot for reform and innovation, and SUSTech is located in this special and unique city. We are creating a world-class university, we should seize the opportunity to build a brilliant future, seize the opportunity to contribute to the development of our province and our country. To build a high level university, we need time, care and we need to be socially responsible, to use our strengths to make a difference, to complete the great historical mission of our times and make SUSTech fulfill its duty. I hope you cherish the world around you, and I hope that you always stay curiosity and explore the unknown; I hope you find your place, down-to-earth.

These six moments represent how I carry SUSTech in my heart. I believe that in four years time, the university will also take root in your heart, through countless memories. SUSTech is still in its early days, and each person’s participation will become a part of its story, your future will define SUSTech.

Once again welcome, and thank you!