On November 29, OUC’s Xingyuan College celebrated its 10th anniversary.
On behalf of the university, Professor Zhang Junfeng, President of OUC, extended a warm welcome to all guests, expressed his sincere thanks to friends from all sectors for their support of the development of Xingyuan College, and sent his best wishes to all faculty, students, and alumni of the college. He noted that OUC has thoroughly implemented the guiding principles in President Xi Jinping’s important reply letter, advanced the reform of talent-training models, and systematically enhanced its capacity to cultivate top-notch, innovative talent. Xingyuan College, he stressed, shoulders an important mission: providing general education and helping students to develop a sound character. Since its establishment in 2015, the College has adhered to a philosophy that integrates general education with specialized education and has grown into an important base for cultivating versatile talent.
President Zhang Junfeng expressed the hope that Xingyuan College would take the 10th anniversary as an opportunity to look back on its successful experience and refine its educational model, building a strong brand in general education. He encouraged the College to expand its reach, attract more outstanding teachers and promote the sharing of high-quality teaching resources, build its knowledge system, and systematically transform teaching materials and core courses into a well-structured curriculum. He promised that OUC will, as always, provide strong support and safeguard the development of Xingyuan College, helping it to open new horizons in innovative education practice.
In his remarks, Professor Zhu Ziqiang, former Dean of Xingyuan College, highlighted the profound influence of general education on students’ intellectual growth. He pointed out that the integration of general education and specialized education will effectively align OUC’s undergraduate education philosophy and practices with those of world-class universities. Professor Xiu Bin, Executive Dean of Xingyuan College, delivered a report on the College’s work over the past decade, reviewing its development since its founding in 2015.
Professor Deng Hongfeng, on behalf of the College’s course instructors, shared his cherished memory of the decade of teaching at Xingyuan College and his expectations for the students. Guo Ding, a representative of the alumni of Xingyuan College and currently a doctoral student at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, recalled his journey of academic and personal development at the College.
Professor Wang Ming from Zhixin College of Southern University of Science and Technology congratulated Xingyuan College on its achievements over the past ten years and expressed his hope of deepening inter-college cooperation in the future. The event was co-chaired by Gao Yang, a student from the College’s 10th cohort, and Professor Xu Derong, Vice Dean of Xingyuan College.
After ten years of exploration, the College has developed a distinctive model that combines a core curriculum with distinctive features, innovative teaching, life-based learning settings, and an honor-driven system of student self-governance. The “Xingyuan experience” has played a demonstrative role within and outside of OUC, providing valuable examples for higher education reform. Graduates from the College have gone on to top universities in China and abroad or taken up key roles across various sectors. Their strong adaptability and growth potential highlight the effectiveness of the College’s talent cultivation model.
Xingyuan College also held the Third Xingyuan Forum for Undergraduates.
