On the afternoon of September 29, UCASS successfully held its virtual orientation for 2022 international students during which Prof. Zhang Bo, the Vice President of UCASS, presented the first lecture for the new entrants. Chaired by Li Ti, the Director of International Exchange and Cooperation Division, the event had the attendance of administrative staff and faculty members in charge of international student affairs, and international freshmen.

During the event, Prof. Zhang Bo extended congratulations and welcome on behalf of UCASS to the 2022 international students. She commenced with a brief introduction to the history and defining features of UCASS, and stated that UCASS has been focusing on building its own brand of international education that features quality over scale, with efforts to optimize the enrollment of international students by country of origin and cultivate true elites in humanities and social sciences. In 2022, a larger number of international students with stronger educational background and from a wider variety of countries are admitted to the program.

Vice President Zhang Bo made a remark to International Freshmen 2022

In the future, UCASS will continue to transform its talent cultivation model by making good use of the faculty resources of CASS to develop its international education model with unique features. It will strive to cultivate international talents with solid academic foundation, excellent professional skills, and outstanding cross-cultural communication competence, so as to promote cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries. Prof. Zhang also shared her expectations for the new entrants: To strengthen self-management and keep in mind a sense of self-discipline; to expand academic expertise and strive to become leaders and pioneers in their area of research; to integrate personal development into the course of national development, with a mission to contribute to social progress; to become envoys of friendship to channel cross-cultural exchanges and mutual learning across civilizations.

Sun Zhaoyang, the Deputy Dean of the School of Global Education and Development, gave a detailed introduction of the UCASS education model to international students, which incorporates the overall characteristics of academic research and specific requirements for international education. He encouraged students to make full use of their time and sharpen their skills in reading, thinking and writing throughout their academic journey.

Dr. Zhang Menghan from the School of History presented an introductory course on China, with a general overview of Chinese geography, history, and its national realities, to help international students build their basic understandings of China.

Cai Chenqing from the International Exchange and Cooperation Division briefed students with must-know reminders during their stay in China, including the procedures for application, extension, and loss reporting of important identity documents, updates on medical insurance, laws and regulations, and pandemic prevention policies.

Director Li Ti concluded the event with inspiring remarks: “Dear freshmen of the 2022 cohort, hope you make the most of your academic journey here. Seize the day and work diligently, in order to make a difference.”