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On November 10, 2018, the commemorative ceremony of the 85th anniversary of South China Normal University (SCNU) was held at the Shipai campus. More than 2,600 people from home and abroad, including representatives from government agencies and sister universities, cooperative units, retired teachers and administrators, alumni as well as teacher and student representatives, etc. attended the ceremony. Over 10,000 alumni returned to school for the celebration of SCNU's 85th anniversary.
Under the theme of "SCNU Remains Young, and Its Exemplary Spirit Lasts Forever", the commemorative ceremony consisted of three elements "Flame, Generosity, and Youth", with honoring the strengths of SCNU at the core of the event. The three themes reflect SCNU's educational sentiments, the sense of righteousness towards the country and the social responsibility for the past eighty-five years. They recall the warm memories of the alumni who are concerned with their alma mater and feel very grateful towards their teachers.
The conference was held in the form of "Series Documentaries and Awards Ceremony". In total there are 37 outstanding alumni from all walks of life participating in the series documentaries, and about 20 alumni were present at the conference and awarded with the trophy "Model of South China Normal University", including the former SCNU president, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and optical expert Mr. Liu Songhao, Wu Yingmin, renowned educationalist, and former president of the High School affiliated to SCNU, Li Peilin, president of the Macao Chinese Education Association, who has advocated cooperation in running schools between SCNU and Macao, Wang Hanqiang, director of the QingPing Group, who has donated funds to the school for over a decade, Wu Daojie, of Excellent Young Volunteers in China , etc..
All the programs were designed by alumni, teachers and students of SCNU. Among them, three programs are especially worth mentioning. "The Ode for SCNU" is one of the most compelling performances. Written by Mr. Xu from the Publicity Department of SCNU and his team of five students, "the Ode for SCNU" depicts SCNU's historical process, educational ideals, love for the country and vision for the future in about 600 words using classical Chinese, which shows the rich cultural heritage and the academic level of SCNU.
Click to listen to the audio version: The Ode for SCNU.mp3
Another program featuring six generations of teachers and students was very heart-warming. It tells the stories of teachers and students from six majors, and how their spirit of teaching has been passed down from generation to generation. Their wonderful performance received great applause from the audience, many of whom were moved to tears. The drama "Love Relay" was based on a real story in which Mo Lei, Professor of the School of Psychology, led students to Wenchuan in Sichuan Province to comfort the victims of the earthquake of 2008. The drama showed the patriotism and social responsibility of the teachers and students of SCNU.
The 85th anniversary commemoration was presided by party secretary of SCNU, Zhu Kongjun. Wang Enke, president of SCNU gave a keynote speech. Wang Shoujun, vice-president of Beijing Normal University, Nigel Martin De Bussy, vice-president of Curtin University, Australia and alumni representative Wu Yingmin also gave opening speeches and expressed their wishes for the 85th anniversary of SCNU.
In addition, a reward ceremony for the donation of funds for school and the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Alumni Hall were also held during the ceremony. Currently the construction of the "Alumni Hall" has received wide attention and great support from alumni, and the first batch of donations has exceeded 20 million yuan. The Hall is expected to be put into use at SCNU's 90th anniversary.
Apart from the commemorative ceremony, SCNU has also launched a series of activities in celebration of the 85th anniversary. A symphony concert was held at the University Town campus for two consecutive days from November 9-10, which attracted hundreds of listeners.
On the anniversary day, the inauguration ceremony of the SCNU Council was held at the Shipai campus, mainly consisting of school administrators, distinguished alumni, related government department representatives and people who care for the development of the university. It aims to help strengthen cooperation and communication between the university and social communities, enhance the vitality of university operation, improve the quality of education, and better serve the function of social development. Besides, five locations were set up for alumni to take degree photos on that day.
It is also worth mentioning that some activities will last for some period of time. For example, the academic & Art Publications of Professor Jao Tsung-I will be on display on the first floor of the Culture & Art Space in the SCNU library at the Shipai campus, lasting till November 30, while the History of SCNU on File is also available for while from November 10-16 on the first floor in the central hall of the library as well.
If you have missed this grand commemorative ceremony, no worry. Scan the QR code for a review!
Source from the News Center
Written by Li Jianru
Proofread by Edwin Baak
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