On November 17, on the occasion of the 115th anniversary of the founding of FNU, the conferment ceremony for the first batch of senior honorary professors and senior professors of liberal arts of FNU was held at the Hongda Hall on Qishan Campus. Chen Zheng, one of the first batch of senior honorary professors of liberal arts, attended the ceremony online. Zhu Hejian, the other senior honorary professor, Li Jianping, Sun Shaozhen, Wang Yaohua, the first batch of senior professors of liberal arts, Lin Weifen, secretary of the Party leadership group and vice chairman of Fujian Federation of Social Sciences, Wu Weiping, member of the Party leadership group and deputy director-general of Fujian Department of Education, Chen Fei, member of the Party leadership group and secretary-general of Fujian Federation of Social Sciences, Li Jinlian and Wu Yuhui, alumni of FNU who were in-service master candidates of the Class of 1994 majoring in political economy at the former College of Economics and Law, FNU leaders Pan Yuteng, Wang Changping, Chen Xiaohong, Lin Yue’en and Wu Jianfeng, heads of functional departments, auxiliary teaching institutions, companies, hospitals and research centers, representatives of teachers and students, attended the event offline.
Lin Weifen said in her speech that the innovative establishment of senior professorship in liberal arts at FNU was a major move to study and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourse on philosophy and social sciences, which fully reflects the great importance FNU has attached to the work of philosophy and social sciences and will certainly have a positive impact on promoting the development of philosophy and social sciences in our province. She hoped that FNU will deeply implement the Marxist theory research and construction project, study profoundly, interpret and publicize the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, strive to achieve a number of high-quality research results, and advance the Party's innovative theories more deeply into people's hearts.
Wu Weiping extended warm congratulations and high respect to the first five senior honorary professors and senior professors of liberal arts who were awarded and appointed by FNU. He hoped that FNU will always bear in mind the country’s most fundamental interests, and take the conferment ceremony as a new starting point to integrate the strengths of resources, implement the overall development strategy of philosophy and social sciences centering on nurturing talents, focus on building a comprehensive development system of students, academics and disciplines, lead and encourage teachers to stay true to their original aspirations, foster virtue through education, perform their duties scrupulously and devote themselves to researches, and strive to build FNU into a good place of innovation in philosophy and social sciences in Fujian.
In his speech, Pan Yuteng recalled the fine traditions of FNU during the 115 years of running school, highly affirmed the outstanding contributions made by the five professors, and hoped that they will be the leading geese to grasp the direction of the disciplines and the navigator to promote academic prosperity, and give full play to their roles of imparting their knowledge, skills and wisdom to the young to reinforce the foundation of talents for the construction of the discipline and development of the university. He emphasized that the 20th CPC National Congress has offered important guidelines for us to build a strong front for fostering virtue through education, to construct a highland for humanities and social sciences, and to create a blessed land for talent development. “We should focus on creating a new pattern of moral education, a new kind of liberal arts with characteristics, and new engines of talent development, fully tapping into the comprehensive advantages of the disciplines, strengthening organized scientific research, and promoting the development of philosophy and social sciences with the vigor of innovation and creativity”, Pan said.
During the ceremony, a promotional film Teacher's Ways & Teacher's Words and short films on the deeds of the awarded professors were shown, and the presentation speeches were read out. The hosts interviewed the representatives of alumni, teachers and students, who shared their touching stories related to the five professors and the unique charm of their personalities they felt in them. Wang Changping awarded certificates and medals to the five senior honorary professors and senior professors of liberal arts one by one, and the young students presented flowers to the professors. Also, teachers and students from School of Communication and College of Music performed the original poetry recitation program Ode to Mr. Big and the original song singing program The Ways of Honoring Teachers respectively. The five professors reviewed their teaching careers and sent ardent messages to the teachers and students. The participating teachers and students were deeply infected by their deep love for family and country, rigorous attitude, profound knowledge and scientific research spirit, and the scene resounded with warm applause.
At the ceremony, the alumni, who were in-service master candidates of the Class of 1994 majoring in political economy at the former College of Economics and Law, presented the fine art Deep-rooted and Thick with Leaves to congratulate FNU on its 115th anniversary, expressing their deep attachment and gratitude to their alma mater and their incomparable respect and love to the senior professors. Pan Yuteng and Wang Changping accepted the gift painting on behalf of FNU.
It is reported that the Senior Professorship of Liberal Arts is a special academic position established by FNU in the field of humanities and social sciences, aiming to further firmly establish the distinctive guidance of fostering public respect for educators, and encouraging public support for education, to give full play to the exemplary and leading role of senior experts in liberal arts, to extensively gather the wisdom and power to prosper the development of philosophy and social sciences and to effectively enhance their academic standards and influence, thus advancing the university's double first-class construction to a new level.
(Translated by Wang Cheng/ Reviewed by Xie Xiujuan)