On September 23rd, with the expectation of new students, the 2020 Induction Ceremony of the College of Foreign Languages was held in Tian Jiabing concert hall of Students’ Activity Center on Balitai campus. This Ceremony was attended by more than 60 teachers, including Secretary of the CPC Committee of the college Zou Yujie, Dean Yan Guodong, Vice Deans Jiao Yanting, Ma Hongqi and Wang Kai, doctoral supervisors Miao Ju, Liu Ying, Wang Lidan, Hu Cuie, Liu Yuzhen, Han Lihong, Wang Xinxin and Zhang Zhizhong, heads of departments Liu Jiping, Gu Jiawei and Yang Lin, heads of offices and centers of the college, and some Chinese and foreign teachers and the alumni representatives. The host of the ceremony was the Vice Secretary of the CPC Committee of the college and Vice Dean, Xiang Yu. As the first batch of students in the new century of Nankai University, more than 400 undergraduate and postgraduate students participated in the event, carrying on together the century-old Nankai spirit to its new phase.
The ceremony was kicked off with videos “One Minute in the College of Foreign Languages”, “The Anthem of Nankai University in 10 Languages”, the review of volunteers’ commando of translation in the fight against the COVID-19, and induction and military training of the new students. In the videos, the resolute look and upright posture of students from the college who were brimming with youthful vigor displayed the positive spirit of the new generation of students in the College of Foreign Languages.
Professor Yan Guodong, Dean and doctoral supervisor of the College of Foreign Languages, delivered a speech to all new students in the ceremony. He initially expressed his congratulations and welcome to them, and introduced the eventful century-old history of the subject of Foreign Languages in Nankai University, as well as the novel changes and progress in the new era. He repeatedly emphasized and explained the idea of talent cultivation where “students should be fostered to be expertises in foreign languages, possess humanistic quality with international view, Chinese sensibility and Nankai characteristic.” He also put forward four talent training goals for cultivating students to become “practitioners of foreign affairs, researchers of international issues, communicators of human civilization and providers of language services.” And that clarified the future directions of these new students who felt confused in the beginning of their university life. Professor Yan Guodong also urged them to make relentless efforts, courageously forge ahead and make contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as Nankai students with the educational aims “initiative, self-awareness, self-responsibility in order to become a aspirant person” formulated by Zhang Boling, President and founder of Nankai University, 90 years ago today.
Professor Wang Lidan, Head of the Russian Department and doctoral supervisor, made a speech on behalf of the teachers. She passed on her learning experience to students on the basis of her own experience of studying and teaching. She hoped that students would not only cherish and focus on their motherland but also have the whole world in view, paying attention to the changes from home and abroad with a spirit of fighting relentlessly and the largeness of mind. And students shouldcourageously keep down-to-earth hard work with unfailing perseverance and constantly pursue perfection in order to brave the wind and battle the waves in their campus life and get ahead of the curve in the world.
Professor Zhao Wei, a Japanese major alumnus in the Class of 1979, now the deputy director of the National Legal Experts Committee of the Xiong'an New Area and the doctoral supervisor of China University of Political Science and Law, delivered a speech on behalf of the alumni with “inheritance”, “hard work” and “expansion” as key words. He encouraged students to advance together with the College of Foreign Languages, integrate their personal development into the powerful trend of the times, pass on the spirit of “dedication to public interests and acquisition of all-round capability” and realize their dreams.
Zheng Xiran, Chairman of the Graduate Student Council and an outstanding peer mentor who majored in English Language and Literature in the Class of 2019, made a speech as a student representative. Starting with her own experiences, Zheng Xiran emphasized the importance of learning Nankai spirit, feeling the charm of language, actively exploring the practice and stressed that language is power. She urged new students to uphold the spirit of “dedication to public interests and acquisition of all-round capability”, experience the power of foreign languages, break the boundaries of knowledge and become interdisciplinary talents as well as inheritors of Nankai spirit.
Ding Yirui, a freshman majoring in Translation and Interpreting, gave a speech on behalf of the new students. She expressed a sense of historical mission as a freshman of the College of Foreign Languages to courageously be dedicated to and shoulder responsibilities for Nankai University and China, with “wind and waves” as the key words of the year 2020. And such spirit would surely inspire the new Nankai people to inherit the patriotic character and the public spiritedness of Nankai University.
The Ceremony also set up a special session for the appointment of tutors of undergraduate classes for the first-year students. Vice Dean Wang Kai read out the list of those tutors who would take responsibilities for guiding undergraduate students in their study planning, professional learning, innovation capability, and ideology and morality. Class tutors is an important form for professional teachers to serve as part-time instructors and to carry out a comprehensive ideological and political education which covers all teachers and the whole process of teaching. Then, Zou Yujie,Secretary of the CPC Committee of the college, issued tutors with appointment letters and took a group photo with them to mark the occasion.
The Ceremony was drawing to an end when all participants sang the anthem of Nankai University in unison. Eyes of these newcomers of Nankai University and the College of Foreign Languages glistened with the brilliance of determination and hope. In the future, it is believed that they will stay true to their original aspiration, carry on the Nankai spirit and contribute their own strength to the new century of Nankai University and the new development of China.
