The Opening Ceremony for the Second Cohort of the Xidian University-Virginia Tech '3+1' China-US Joint
Education Program was Successfully Held
Time: Oct 19, 2023
(Correspondent: Ban Jiaxin, Ji Yuyao) With meticulous preparation from both Xidian University and Virginia Tech, the opening ceremony for the second cohort of the China-US Joint Program took place successfully on the morning of October 10, 2023. The ceremony was gracefully hosted by Zhang Weili, Head of Internationalization Affairs at the School of Economics and Management, in the 210 Conference Hall of the Administration Building on the South Campus.
The director of School Affairs of Administration Committee at Xidian University, Li Yaoping, the Executive Dean, Chai Jian, the Vice Dean of the International Education Institute at Xidian University, Zhang Yang, members of the Joint Management Committee of the China-US Joint Education Program, and the leadership team of the School of Economics and Management attended in-person meeting. Jennifer Clevenger, Overseas Project Director and member of Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business, along with Devi Gnyawali, Department Head of Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business, participated in the in-person meeting. Saonee Sarker, Dean of the Pamplin College of Business, Michelle Seref, Interim Associate Dean, Beth Osborne, Vice Dean, Richard Hunt, Director of Graduate Programs in Management, and Chien-Chi Tseng, Associate Professor of Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, attended the online meeting. Lara Khansa, Deputy Dean of Academic Faculty and Affairs, joined as a guest online.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Dean Chai Jian delivered a speech. Firstly, he extended a warm welcome to the attending leaders, teachers, and the new cohort. Subsequently, he emphasized that the program is deeply rooted in the field of big data management and application, emphasizing the integration of language proficiency and cross-cultural communication skills into the study of professional courses. Through the continuous and efficient collaboration between the two universities in China and the United States, the program achieved remarkable success by winning the Outstanding Joint Education Program Award in 2022 in Shaanxi Province. Dean Chai shared three pieces of advice with the students, encouraging them to cultivate a strong sense of patriotism, and to become advocates of Chinese excellent culture. Grow into young talents of the new era with broad knowledge, innovative thinking skills, international perspectives, and a sense of social responsibility, thereby composing a youth anthem worthy of the new era.
Zhang Yang, Vice Dean of the International Education Institute at Xidian University, delivered a speech. He expressed that international cooperative education provides us with a platform to introduce high-quality education resources from abroad and could promote the internationalization of education. This has significant practical implications for improving the quality of education in China and nurturing talents with an international perspective. The strong collaboration between the School of Economics and Management at Xidian University and the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech is expected to yield even more fruitful results in the future for the China-US joint education program. In conclusion, he presented several expectations for the new cohort, encouraging them to continuously pursue excellence and create brilliance.
Dean Dr. Saonee Sarker and Interim Associate Dean Dr. Michelle Seref of the Pamplin College of Business delivered speeches online. They provided a detailed overview of the program, and shared plans and resources to the program. They extended a warm welcome to students in the China-US class and expressed their enthusiastic anticipation for the future study of these students in the United States.
Professor Du Rong delivered a speech on behalf of the instructors at Xidian University. She expressed great pride as a representative of the faculty and one of the founders of the China-US Joint Education Program, witnessing the development and growth of Xidian University. The successful start of the program could not have been achieved without the dedication of the leaders and instructors from Xidian University and Virginia Tech. Professor Du Rong thanked everyone for their contributions to the joint education program. She also provided guidance and advice to the students regarding their future academic and personal lives, conveying sincere expectations and offering warm wishes.
Following that, speeches were given by Wang Lebin, representing the second cohort, and Li Ximo, representing the first cohort. They respectively expressed their expectations for the four years of university life and offered sincere wishes and valuable advice for the new students to quickly adapt to the high standards and fast-paced university life of the program. Subsequently, on-site leaders awarded prizes to three students who excelled in the English speech competition of the program and presented welcome packages to five student representatives. The welcome packages for the rest of the Class of 2023 China-US students were distributed after the ceremony. With enthusiastic applause from the attendees, the opening ceremony of the Xidian University-Virginia Tech '3+1' China-US Joint Education Program for the second cohort concluded successfully.
It has been reported that the China-US joint education program is currently operating smoothly. In its second year of enrollment, the program has garnered numerous honors. It was awarded with the title of ‘Outstanding Joint Education Program of Shaanxi Province in 2022’ and the course ‘Advanced Mathematics’ within the program was recognized as an outstanding ideological and political demonstration project in joint education in Shaanxi Province. The first cohort of students in the program received numerous awards, showcasing remarkable academic achievements.
Building on the success of the program, Xidian University and Virginia Tech jointly established the Xi'an International Technology Cooperation Base for Artificial Intelligence Application and Management this academic year. This initiative encourages students to focus on and research management science issues in the application of artificial intelligence. It also aims to attract students with research potential to participate in laboratory research projects, yielding high-quality collaborative research outcomes.
The program has also invested significant efforts in ideological and political education within the curriculum and English language education. These endeavours lay a solid theoretical and linguistic foundation for students to enhance cultural exchanges during their future study abroad, contribute to local communities, and effectively communicate China's development realities while promoting a comprehensive understanding of Chinese narratives.
