The Zhejiang University - University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJE) new student welcome ceremony was held in the Residential College on 15 September 2018, with more than 100 new undergraduate and postgraduate students in attendance. The new students spanned various regions across China, and countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, America and Ghana.
Many distinguished guests attended the ceremony including Vice President of ZJU and Dean of ZJU International Campus Lianzhen He, Assistant President of ZJU, Secretary of Party Working Committee and Vice Dean of ZJU International Campus Qiang Fu, Vice Dean of ZJU International Campus Guanzhong Ding, ZJE Dean Ouyang Hongwei, ZJE Executive Dean Sue Welburn, ZJE Vice Dean Linrong Lu, ZJE Vice Dean Ye Chen, ZJE Assistant Dean Suhong Xu, Vice Dean of ZJU School of Basic Medical Sciences Di Wang, Director of ZJU International Campus Office of Student Affairs Yufen Wang, Assistant Dean of ZJU International Campus and Director of Office of Academic Affairs Jinqi Zhou, Director of ZJU International Campus Financial Department Ping Qiu, all the faculty of ZJE, parents and senior ZJE students.
The ceremony began with the new students and guests signing their names and creating multi-coloured hand prints on the signature wall. These colourful hand prints symbolise the bright futures expected for the new students.
Vice President of ZJU and Dean of ZJU International Campus, Lianzhen He, expressed her sincere welcome to all the new students. She said that the ceremony should be seen as a brand-new start for all of the students - "hard work and high grades are just part of college life, ZJE needs students with a global vision to lead the way."
Image of International Campus Dean, Lianzhen He
Then, Professor Ouyang Hongwei, Dean of ZJE, gave a speech entitled "New Journey of Evolution". He stated that the moment a student chooses ZJE, they have set themselves apart from their peers. He said: "In ZJE, because of the combination of Chinese and Western teaching models, industry-wide visions and high-level thinking, combined with the key factor of "cross evolution", our students stand out among their peers. More importantly, ZJE trains the players of life, not only in professional excellence, but also physical, emotional, and mental health."
Image of ZJE Dean, Professor Ouyang Hongwei
Executive Dean Sue Welburn gave students a brief and interesting introduction to the Institute. She also showed the close connection between the study and understanding of biomedical sciences and human life. Dean Welburn also introduced the student journal 'The New Enlightenment' which was launched this year, and encouraged the new students to actively participate in the production of the journal.
Image of Vice-Dean Professor Sue Welburn
Then, Vice Dean Qiang Fu, Professor Ouyang Hongwei and Professor Sue Welburn gifted books - 'The Origin of Species by Charles Robert Darwin' to the student representatives. They said they hoped the freshmen class will inherit the excellent traditions of the University of Edinburgh and Zhejiang University, make the most of the resources of these two universities, develop themselves and give back to society in the future.
After the gift-giving, on behalf of all the freshmen, Jingxian Zhao not only expressed her excitement about her upcoming life in ZJE, but also expressed her commitment to "comprehensive development, seeking truth and innovation".
Senior students of ZJE, Baizhi Chen, Zerong Cai and Ziyuan Han shared their experiences of the research placements they completed during the summer holidays in Melbourne, Edinburgh and Boston respectively. They encouraged the new students to also take part in the summer research programme.
In order to help the new students adapt to university life, the Director of Undergraduate Programmes, Professor John Menzies and the Director of Postgraduate Programmes, Professor David Arnot gave detailed introductions to the dual degree programmes. They introduced the core concepts students would be learning, as well as provided some advice on what to expect.
Image of Professor John Menzies, Director of Undergraduate Programmes
Image of Professor David Arnott with Postgraduate students
Students were also introduced to the 'Academic Families' scheme, which aims to provide academic help to new students. Each family consists of two senior students and six freshmen. The first meeting of family members was also held in this ceremony. Each academic family had a great time getting to know each other.
In order to give students a better understanding of Edinburgh, Professor John Menzies gave a brief introduction of Scotland's characteristics and geographical location. Then, all the students and faculty shared Scottish whisky and cookies, they also learned Scottish dancing and enjoyed wonderful Scottish music at the end of the welcome ceremony.
The welcoming ceremony signalled a new start for not only students but also ZJE. We sincerely hope that every new student will remember the school motto, "face up to the challenge of learning English and embark on the road of scientific research leading to the beautiful unknown."
