The first town hall meeting between the JI leaders and the graduate students took place on September 13. Dean Ni, Peisen Huang, Associate Dean for Education, Olivier Bauchau, Chair of Graduate Committee, and staff of the graduate school answered questions and exchanged ideas with the students on the topics of study goals, curriculum, theses, research, and international cooperation.
Dean Ni
Dean Ni first addressed the students. He pointed out that JI has focused on undergraduate education in the past five years and has been recognized for its success. In the coming five years, JI will catch up in developing the graduate education because it is impossible to become a first-class engineering school without first-class research and graduate program. He described the differences in Ph.D program, especially the advisor-student relationship, between the U.S. and Chinese universities. Dean Ni has had 25 years’ experience in educating Ph.D. students. He believes that JI’s strong faculty and advanced teaching model will push the graduate school forward.
Peisen Huang, Associate Dean for Education
During the meeting, the faculty and staff took turns answering students’ pre-submitted questions in detail, such as the opportunities to attend international conferences and exchange programs, the possibilities to take courses from other schools at SJTU, and internships. The spontaneous Q & A session also provided satisfactory solutions to many students’ queries.
Oliver Bauchau, Chair of Graduate Committee
A JI Graduate Student
In his closing remarks, Dean Ni encouraged the students to take full advantage of JI’s faculty and resources and work hard in order to succeed.This town hall meeting was initiated by the JI Graduate Students Union and coordinated by the Student Affairs Office. Dean Ni would like to have regular meetings with the students to exchange ideas and to serve them better.
