On December 16, a symposium to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Sino-French Engineer School at Beihang University was held at No. 2 building of Xueyuan Road Campus. Beihang President Xu Huibin, Vice President Huang Haijun, relevant leaders from Publicity Department, Department of Student Affairs, Department of Academic Affairs, Graduate School, Human Resource Department and International Division, teacher and student representatives as well as alumni representatives of Sino-French Engineer School attended the event. The symposium was presided over by Huang Haijun.
At the symposium, Hong Guanxin, Chinese Director of Sino-French Engineer School, and Frédéric GENTY, French Director of the School, delivered opening remarks respectively. Following that, Chinese teacher An Wei, French teacher Guillaume MERLE, graduate student Zhang Xiaofeng and undergraduate student Zhang Xiaofeng spoke as representatives separately.
In her remarks, Director Hong Guanxin made a summary of the past 15 years of running the Sino-French Engineer School, and expressed sincere gratitude to leaders and the departments of Beihang that have always cared for and supported the development of the school. She said that over the past 15 years, the Sino-French Engineer School has devoted itself to the training of international general engineers, and has cultivated more than 750 internationally certified outstanding graduates with both French general engineer diploma and master's degree of Beihang University, which is based on the national strategic needs and closely follows the forefront of the world's higher engineering education. She further noted that the Sino-French Engineer School will continue to uphold the Beihang spirit of dedicating to the country and daring to be the first, and strive to become a first-class school with a worldwide reputation.
Director Frédéric GENTY reviewed the development of the school in the past 15 years. On behalf of France Central Institute of Technology Group (Groupe des Ecoles Centrales), he thanked Beihang University for its great support and help, and believed that China and France will embrace deeper development in the future and the cooperation between the two schools will usher in a new starting point.
Liu Jie, the first graduate of Sino-French Engineer School and now associate professor of the School of Reliability and Systems Engineering, said that he was honored to be a student of Sino-French Engineer School and spend the most unforgettable, passionate and energetic six and a half years here. After graduation, Chinese and French students stood out in different fields such as national defense, finance and information, leaving footprints in Asia, Europe, America, Africa and other parts of the world. The Sino-French Engineer School of Beihang University has become a label that students took pride in.
In the free exchange session, Zhang Jiang, secretary of the Party Committee of the Sino-France Engineer School, said that in the future, the development of the school will be consistent with that of the motherland. The school will persist in cultivating people with moral integrity and cultivate socialist builders and successors with an international perspective. Professor Li Lin, the first executive director of the Sino-France Engineering School, also shared some thoughts and experience on the start-up of the School. Heads of other core departments have also noted that they’ll continue to support the development of the school as always, and expressed their ardent expectations for it.
President Xu Huibin pointed out that the Sino-French Engineer School has gone through 15 years as a trial of a new educational model. During this period, the school has made great contributions in international exchanges and talent training. President Xu noted that in a world which is currently undergoing major changes unseen in a century, Sino-French cooperation is now faced with both new opportunities and challenges. He hoped that the Sino-French Engineer School will summarize and condense the results of 15 years of running the school and especially contribute wisdom to the Beihang model of talent training, persist in educating people for the party and the country, and implement the fundamental task of personnel cultivation, so as to train diversified general engineers with international visions that are in the needs of our country and society.
After the symposium, a publication and exchange meeting of "Sino-French Engineer Education Reform and Development Records-Marks of Beihang University" was held. Related faculty representatives Li Lin, professor of the School of Energy and Power Engineering, Liu Bo and Li Min, professors of the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, Ma Yonghong, professor of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Chen Xiangdong, professor of the School of Economics and Management, Liu Jie, associate professor of the School of Reliability and Systems Engineering, Zhang Wei, Yin Chuantao, Guillaume MERLE, An Wei, Yu Shan and Huang Xingrong, teachers from the Sino-French Engineer School, have participated in the meeting. During the meeting, these representatives exchanged their ideas on the construction of professional faculty team and talent training system, analyzed the cooperation with companies and prospect of students’ employment, and put forward valuable opinions and suggestions for the future construction of the Sino-French Engineer School.
Reported by Zhang Li
Photographed by Wang Qing
Reviewed by Zhang Jiang
Edited by Jia Aiping
Translated by Wen Peiyu
