On September 4, 2011, Associate Dean for Education, Peisen Huang, and Executive Director, Pam Byrnes, as well as teachers, welcomed the 2011 incoming students and parents. The new students include 275 undergraduates (including 7 international students), 23 master students (including 1 international student), and 11 Ph.D. students (including 1 international student). Professor Huang was the Master of Ceremonies of the program which was conducted entirely in English. The students and parents sensed the international atmosphere of JI on the first day of school.
Professor Huang remarked that JI has expanded and improved over the past five years and has attracted more and more students. He congratulated the students for being admitted to JI, which is not easy in view of the large volume of applicants and tough competition. He gave a brief introduction of JI’s history, management model, curriculum, and achievement. He emphasized that JI not only educates engineers but also cultivates global leaders.
The President of JI Student Union, Yuchen Wen (upper left), shared his experience as a JI student. He told the new students that when they selected JI, they have chosen to be leaders. Freshmen Representative , Xiaoyi Yu (upper right), thanked her parents and expressed her hope for the coming four years. She expects to enjoy the campus life and become the person she aspires to be. International Student Representative Calvin Wang (lower left), from Germany, commented that he was attracted by the JI’s international educational environment and rich learning resources such as the dual –degree program. (Note: Wang gave up Tsinghua University’s admission in favor of JI.) Graduate Student Representative Ali Mohammadabadi (lower right), from Iran, commented that he has made a right decision to come because of the reputation, global vision, and first-class faculty of JI.
All new students took the oath on the JI Honor Code. The grand finale of the ceremony was a short film produced by JI students “In Joint, Enjoy It” which won big applause from the audience.
Afterwards, the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) held a meeting presided over by Ms. Xuqing, the parent of a junior. Professor Huang gave parents an overview of JI in Chinese. Executive Director Pam Byrnes emphasized the importance of the JI PTA because JI students will be the future leaders of China, and China will continue to have great impact in the world. Ms. Xuqing urged new parents to help their children take advantage of the golden four years in JI. She encouraged parents to pay attention to JI PTA’s Sina blog and join the Tercent QQ group. Then the new members of PTA’s presidium were elected and presented. Dr. Gang Zheng, Assistant to Associate Dean, introduced the Dual Degree program and Combined Undergraduate / Graduate Program which most parents were anxious to know.
Photos by JI News Department Yin Yu and Tianyuan Zhao
