Nearly 300 alumni return for reunion

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University welcomed back to campus nearly 300 alumni members last month for its 2023 reunion, which also saw the release of a report on the career outcomes of XJTLU’s first three undergraduate cohorts.

Since graduating its first class of students in 2010, XJTLU has produced over 27,000 high-calibre graduates from more than 100 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programmes.

The two-day reunion, organised by the Alumni Affairs Office, included an alumni assembly, a book-signing event, tours of the campus and XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), and other activities.

“When I was an XJTLU student, the University was just a single building. Over the past decade, it has established the north and south campuses and founded the Entrepreneur College, providing excellent learning resources,” said Shanshan Bei, a 2013 graduate of Financial Mathematics who now works in finance in Shanghai.

“XJTLU cultivates in students an open-minded approach, helping create endless possibilities for our studies, jobs, and lives,” she added.

At the reunion’s alumni assembly, Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU, introduced efforts to build an integrated university-industry-society ecosystem and said he hoped that the University’s educational approach would “drive the evolution of learning and teaching” in China and the world.

Later, Professor Xi signed copies of his book “What is Management?” and answered questions about his inspirations. Alumni members also visited the Taicang campus, where they took part in an engaging discussion on statistical traps with Dr Jie Li, Associate Professor at XJTLU’s International Business School Suzhou.

High achievers

XJTLU’s undergraduate programme has to date produced almost 24,000 graduates, including 1,302 in the first three cohorts, from 2010 to 2012.

The newly released Career Outcome Report for XJTLU’s First Three Graduating Classes – based on a survey of 1,113 alumni members – showed that nearly 90% hold master’s or doctoral degrees. The primary industries for employment were finance, information and communication technology, and manufacturing.

Among those surveyed, 522 held middle or senior management positions, and 314 worked for Fortune 500 companies in China or globally. The average annual salary was 429,100 RMB (59,810 USD).

Dr Qijian Jie, Director of the XJTLU Student Affairs Centre, said that the academic achievements of graduates have consistently improved over the past decade. Some 6,019 XJTLU graduates have been admitted to elite G5 universities in the United Kingdom, 1,918 to Australia’s Group of Eight, 308 to Ivy League schools in the United States, and 147 to Singapore’s top universities.

Jingkang Gui, a 2011 graduate of the Communication Engineering programme who went on to receive a master’s from Singapore’s elite Nanyang Technological University, said the international resources and environment at XJTLU set it among the top universities in the world.

“The education I received at XJTLU provided me with valuable knowledge and nurtured my problem-solving skills,” said Gui, who now works for technology giant Huawei, based in Singapore. “My XJTLU experience continues to benefit me, enabling me to confidently tackle academic pursuits and career transitions.”

By Liu He and Shinuo Xu

Edited by Luyun Shi and Patricia Pieterse

Translated by Yimei Liao

Photos and additional information provided by XJTLU Alumni Association