As there is a rhythm of days and of seasons, a new year has come. On this New Year’s Day, we would like to extend our best wishes to all USST-ers, and wish them a very Happy New Year.
It was the worst of times. It was the best of times.
We have been witnessing a world undergoing changes unseen in a century, the unfolding of a global epidemic, the adjustment of the international order, the great rejuvenation of our Country, the adoption of a strategy of internal and external economic exchange, and also the great development of our university.
Although history is a story of woos and woes, as always, USST braves forward. The year 2020 began with our effort to fight and control the epidemic. In this “wartime” situation, we inaugurated the smart classroom platform to support online teaching, tackled key scientific and technological problems to help fight the epidemic. Think tanks at USST engaged in academic study to offer proposals for national decision-making and their brilliant work helped to fight the epidemic and to resume a normal life on campus for the students, faculty and staff. During the shutdown to fight the epidemic, we made much-needed preparations to have an upper hand, and to win the fight against the epidemic and meanwhile proceeded with our work as scheduled.
Three courses have been selected by the Ministry of Education as national first rate courses for undergraduates. The influence of the “New Era, China’s Voice” initiative has been felt by the universities in the Yangtze River Delta. The students from USST won gold and silver again at “Internet Plus” and “The Challenge Cup”, two national competitions focused on innovation.
Researchers from USST have engaged themselves in future optics to explore the power to change the world. Researchers are also dedicated to the integration of medical science and engineering to produce cutting-edge medical devices so as to benefit patients around the world. Researchers in machine intelligence are devoted to human-computer integration, and researchers in oatmeal are determined to make their share of contributions to lift people out of poverty. Our faculty members have published numerous articles in the world’s top academic journals and won one project of The National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and two first prizes of Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award.
Taking on the mission of "manufacturing is power", we are working hand in hand with other universities, research institutions, enterprises, government agencies to make breakthroughs in key technologies. In the main battlefield of "four orientations" of scientific and technological innovation, we are seeking cooperation to strengthen indigenous innovation and develop new technologies and products having full intellectual property rights.
We have been introducing academic talent and cultivating our own academic leaders. A vivid picture of academic cooperation and competition among faculty members is unfolding. We have been awarded the National Science and Technology Major Project, major platforms and plans, and received generous donations from alumni and praise and admiration from the public.
All these achievements are made with enormous efforts and sacrifices from USST-ers. Only those who brave forward will prevail. It is our determination and tenacity, it is our courage and perseverance to seize the day and forge ahead that allows us not to be afraid of difficulties and to look for opportunities even in adversity. Nothing can stop us, because we are USST-ers. USST-ers do your best!
The sensible change their strategies with different times, whereas the wise make their plans with different matters.
Time honors the diligent. Behind the flowers and applause, we have always inherited incontrovertible experience: only reformers can make progress, only innovators can stay strong.
Based on “fostering virtue through education”, USST always comprehensively pushes forward the construction of a model university in terms of an “All-round Education in Three Aspects” and the construction of a leading university with regard to the comprehensive curriculum reform, and continues to deepen new engineering-oriented educational reforms in terms of honorary degrees, project courses, colleges of industrial technology, and “an integrated teaching system as to the curriculum, classes, homework, and extracurricular activities” to foster the all-round “Pillars of the Country”; we follow the “3151” high-level university construction path, and open up a “new blue ocean” in such interdisciplinary fields as medical-engineering integration, artificial intelligence, and civil-military integration. We promote functional optimization, collaboration and efficiency as the focal points to push forward institutional reforms, improve management capabilities and management levels.We are optimizing the performance target management model, so that every conscientious contributor has a racetrack to stand out. We are building a digital USST system of “handling everything with one network”, “managing everything with one network ” and “learning with one network ” so as to make the wisdom factors ubiquitous. We are building a Shanghai-style campus that combines styles ancient and modern, Chinese and Western, so that people can encounter attractive literary spaces and unique Internet celebrity landscapes at any time. Nothing in the world has a fixed form. We must recognize changes precisely, respond to changes scientifically, and seek changes actively. There is always a power for us to break the ice, that is, the confidence and perseverance to dare to ford dangerous rapids and overcome difficulties, the courage and wisdom to break through obstacles and break through barriers -nothing can stop us, because we of USST are so competent!
The best tribute to pay to history is to create a new history.
“We must promote the high-efficiency and high-quality industrialization of scientific research results, and better support and serve the development of Shanghai’s key industries.” This was the ardent entrustment to the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology when Comrade Li Qiang, Secretary of the Shanghai CPC Committee, visited our school on May 13, 2020. 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. It is the first year to implement the “14th Five-Year Plan” and start a new journey of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way. The University of Shanghai for Science and Technology will always take root in China, building a high-level university, and creating a high-quality education, loudly and firmly answering the “question of value” of the new era. To “advance” to high-quality development, we especially need to deepen our inner construction, highlight “education-oriented, quality first”, deepen “excellent engineering education”, highlight our features and build brand programs; we especially need to take advantage of the general trend of “integration” to promote online and offline integration, disciplinary integration, integration between science and education, integration between production and education, open cooperation, and joint construction and sharing. We especially need to strengthen overall planning, improve efficiency with information construction, demand efficiency from management services, optimize configuration, and intensive development. Time has me, USST has me, we will witness, we will participate, and we will write a new round of the “time story” for USST. There is always a kind of power that keeps us in high spirits, that is, the lively and flourishing atmosphere and situation, and the desire and yearning for the revival of the cause and the realization of our dreams in USST: nothing can stop us, because we USST people are so determined!
Nothing can stop us from moving forward. The bright morning sun of the New Year is shining radiantly and gushing out. Bless you, and bless me! I hope that we can work hard to gain more lasting happiness in this promising land of entrepreneurship, so as to shape and achieve a more substantial life!
Wu Jianyong, Secretary of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology CPC Committee
Ding Xiaodong, President of University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
January 1, 2021.
