XJTLU holds 2015 opening ceremony

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University this morning held its official opening ceremony for the 2015 new student intake.

Nearly 8,000 students, parents and relatives joined XJTLU academic and administrative staff in the Dushu Lake Stadium, near the University campus.

The 2015 cohort includes 2,850 students from across mainland China in addition to an increasing number of international students from across the world.

The annual opening ceremony welcomes new students to XJTLU and gives them and their parents the chance to ask questions directly to the University’s senior management team.

Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU, gave the opening speech, encouraging new students to explore the world together with the University.

During his speech, Professor Xi gave students advice on how to live their lives and pursue their dreams. He explained why studying at XJTLU would help new students grow as independent adults and take responsibility for their own lives.

“You are faced with a new world, XJTLU. Every one of you is starting at the same place. Only by letting go of the past can you embrace the future…you should learn to respond to changes and challenges. Fear no uncertainties, rather, try to grasp opportunities from them,” he said.

Towards the end of his speech, Professor Xi talked about the importance of having a dream and how new students should make the most of their time at university. He said: “Your university life has just begun so start by discovering your own interests...and fight for your dreams! We expect you to become an accomplished leader in the future, filled with wisdom and courage.”

Mianlin Yang, a new undergraduate student, Zhi Jin, an XJTLU PhD student, and Chang Liu, a graduate from the Department of Mathematical Sciences, each gave speeches welcoming the new students.

Dr Stuart Perrin, Dean of Learning and Teaching and Director of XJTLU’s Language Centre, addressed the crowd on behalf of XJTLU staff saying: “At our university, we do expect you to actively participate in academic discussions and debates. We do expect you to be creative and share your ideas. We do expect you to challenge us, to critically engage with us, to share our own journey of pushing back the boundaries of knowledge. We invite you to share our vision with us and be part of the future.”

In the ceremony’s final speech Professor Wenquan Tao, President of XJTLU, advised new students to discover the “difference between learning at high school and at this university, to learn how to master your free time and how to set and achieve goals.”

Read the full speeches from the opening ceremony.

The final stage of the opening ceremony saw Professor Xi, together with the University senior management team, take to the floor in front of the audience. For the next two hours they answered questions from more than 15 parents and students on topics including educational ideas, growth models, programme setting, and the University’s organisational system and future plans.

One parent from Hubei province asked about University scholarship policies, which received applause from the audience. Professor Xi explained that because XJTLU is rapidly developing it needs support from various communities and channels, but that the University will continue enhancing the range of support available to students.