On the afternoon of September 21st, the 2024 opening ceremony of GIFT was held in the Pao Yue-Kong Library Auditorium. Attendees included Ni Jun, Deputy Director of the University Affairs Committee and Dean of GIFT, along with Executive Dean Jin Sun, and other notable institute leaders such as Wang Chong, Wang Jingchuan, and Li Mian. Faculty representatives and all undergraduate, master, and doctoral freshmen of the 2024 academic year were also in attendence. The ceremony was hosted by Wang Jingchuan.
Firstly, he encouraged the students to actively engage in learning and outperform themselves, constantly honing, challenging, and improving themselves through proactive and in-depth study. Secondly, he encouraged them to cultivate a resilient character and dialectical thinking, proactively stepping out of their comfort zones and embracing challenges with a spirit of seeking hardship; and, lastly , he encouraged them to root downwards and grow upwards, demonstrating the perseverance in their academic and research endeavors.
Zheng Shuangjia spoke on behalf of the faculty. He expressed that in the face of rapidly changing societal demands, diversified and interdisciplinary cooperation has become key to driving technological progress. In the educational philosophy of GIFT, breaking down disciplinary barriers, fostering innovative thinking through interdisciplinary collaboration, and prioritizing outcome-oriented, industry-academia integrated professional practice are always at the core. He hoped that the students would cherish the environment of diverse integration and innovative development provided by the institute, value their precious youth, and achieve personal breakthroughs with diligence, rigor, truth-seeking, and innovation.
Gu Jiayu, an undergraduate student of the class of 2023 and a member of the Presidium of the Student Union, welcomed the new students on behalf of the senior students. Gu shared his experience of the course work and extracurricular activities in his first year at GIFT.He said that the culture of GIFT is open, tolerant and innovative.The first year at GIFT is creating history every day, and he also hoped that the new students can create their own history too.
Liu Jiale, speaking as the representative of the undergraduate freshmen, expressed her deep attraction towards the innovative educational philosophy of GIFT, which includes the academic mentor system, the integration of industry, academia and research, and a personalized curriculum. These all demonstrate GIFT’s courage to be a pioneer and stand at the forefront of the times. The undergraduate majors pioneered by GIFT in China also represent the future development trends. She hopes that, through her diligent study, she can give her own contribution to the development of human life and health in the future, as well as to the progress of the nation and society.
Zhong Jincheng, the representative of the graduate freshmen, expressed his excitement about joining GIFT. He stated that as students of GIFT, they should take the national needs as their responsibility, aim to strengthen the nation through science and technology, stay true to their original aspirations and face the future. On one hand, they must persist in their love and pursuit of scientific research, and adhere to academic norms and beliefs.On the other hand, they should actively embrace new technologies, explore future technological fields, and become innovative talents with forward-thinking and interdisciplinary mindsets.
Dean Jun Ni, on behalf of GIFT, welcomed the students of “GIFT Phase II” and delivered the first lecture to the new students titled “Exploration and Practice of Integrated Innovation in Education, Technology, and Talent Development.” He stated that GIFT is committed to breaking down the barriers in learning, disciplines, and educational institutions, The focus is on creating an education system that not only has a global impact but also reflects Chinese characteristics by integrating industry and education, all while aiming to develop strategic international leaders in science and technology for the industries of the future. GIFT has pioneered the establishment of two new undergraduate majors, Sustainable Energy and Health Science and Technology, on a national scale.We have developed a training system focused on students and excellence for their undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs, built a world-class faculty team, and fostered a healthy ecosystem that encourages collaboration between schools and businesses, which stems from the strong integration of industry, academia, and research. He looks forward to creative, passionate, and pioneering talented students joining GIFT to write history together.
In his report, Dean Ni shared his journey from being admitted to SJTU from Qinghai, studying abroad through the “Shi Xing Sheng” program, and then returning to his motherland to establish the SJTU-UM Joint Institute, the SCUT Wu Xianming Intelligent Engineering College, and GIFT. He encouraged the new students to embrace the changes that come with university life, adopt effective study techniques , develop a strong foundation of knowledge , explore their potentials, and broaden their skills . He believes that talent contributes about 10%, opportunity about 20%, and hard work makes up the remaining 70%， always keeping a grateful attitude. He strongly encouraged students to achieve “the greater self” through “the smaller self,” so they could make a difference in the world and shape the future.
