On the afternoon of 28 September, at the Sightseeing Lounge on the 19th floor of the Administration Building, SUES held commemorative activities for the 2574th anniversary of the birth of Confucius and donation ceremony of Confucius’ Statue in order to commemorate the great contribution of Confucius to China’s education and ideology, and to advocate the respect for teachers. President Yu Tao, Vice President Xia Chunming, Alumni from the 1994 class of Thermal Engineering program, President of Shandong Alumni Association Tian Minge, heads of relevant departments and schools, as well as representatives of faculty and students were present. The event was hosted by Vice President Xia Chunming.
President Yu Tao cited the three main ideas of Confucius to explain the SUES’ educational philosophy, pointing out that: all students can get a fair and just education at the University, “training students according to their characteristics”; the University will adopt different methods based on the different characteristics of the students, implementing “tailored to the needs of the students”; as a base for the cultivation of application-oriented talents, the University encourages and guides the students to use their knowledge on the development of the country and the society to “put the learning into practical use”. President Yu Tao also issued a call to faculty and students to learn from Tian Minge and other outstanding alumni: firstly, to learn from the alumni’s spirit of hard work, seizing the opportunity to study at the University to lay a foundation for the future; secondly, to learn from the alumni’s spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, focusing on the causes needed for human development; thirdly, to learn from the alumni’s gratitude for their alma mater, being grateful to the University, the society, the country and the people.
Tian Minge delivered a heartfelt speech at the ceremony. He recalled the precious time he spent at his alma mater, and thanked SUES for its contribution during the donation of the Confucius statue. According to him, the Confucius statue best captures the awe, appreciation, and blessings of Shandong graduates, and he hoped that Shandong Alumni Association will continue to give back to their alma mater in the future, and help with the high quality of development in the cause of education.
During the event, alumnus Tian Minge offered a replica statue of Confucius to SUES, and on behalf of the University, President Yu Tao presented alumnus Tian Mingge with a certificate of donation and a letter of appointment as an alumni mentor.
In a month’s time, a four-metre high and seven-tonne alabaster statue of Confucius will be placed on SUES campus. The completion of the Confucius statue will have a positive impact on the campus environment and the learning atmosphere of faculty and students. In the future, SUES will further promote the excellent traditional Chinese culture and contribute wisdom and strength to realize the Chinese dream of the nation’s great rejuvenation.
