GZUC held the opening ceremony for the freshmen of Grade 2023 in the Exhibition Economy and Management on September 19, 2023. Rowan Courtney O'Connor, CEO and President of International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS), Luo Bing, Vice Secretary and President of GZUC, Jackie Chang, Vice President of ICMS, Wen Daqiang, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of GZUC, Yu Yue, Manager of ICMS in China Region, and Huang Xiaomin, Development Manager of the International Marketing Department at ICMS, attended the opening ceremony. Representatives from the Department of Publicity of the Party Committee, Office of the President, Department of Teachers Affairs, Academic Affairs Office, and Office of Student Affairs (Office of Enrolment and Employment) of GZUC, as well as leaders and teacher representatives from the College of Tourism Management and the School of International Education, attended the ceremony alongside all freshmen of the Sino-foreign cooperative education program, as well as representatives of sophomores, junior and senior students. The opening ceremony was presided over by Zhang Yong, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of GZUC.
Firstly, Luo Bing delivered a speech, expressing warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to the visit of Rowan Courtney O'Connor and his delegation on behalf of GZUC. He emphasized that this opening ceremony was a significant moment as it marked the first gathering of leaders from both universities after the outbreak of the pandemic. Luo Bing extended a warm welcome to the freshmen of Grade 2023 in the Sino-foreign cooperative education program, encouraging them to study diligently, establish lofty ideals, and uphold the university motto of "Shaping characteristics with faith and integrity, cultivating application abilities with usefulness and evaluation" by placing morality as a top priority. He also urged the students to strive to become exhibition professionals with both national sentiments and an international perspective. Luo Bing presented three hopes in his speech: firstly, he hoped that the students would be diligent and ambitious; secondly, he hoped that they would be honest and selfless, with open and broad minds; and thirdly, he hoped that they would have a wide range of knowledge and be inclusive.
Following that, Rowan Courtney O'Connor, CEO and President of ICMS, delivered a welcome speech to the freshmen, warmly welcoming the students of Grade 2023. He stated that the cooperative education program was of significant importance in enhancing talent development, cultural integration, and international reputation for both universities. He encouraged the students to make full use of the resources provided by the Sino-foreign cooperative education program, seize the time, learn professional skills, broaden their international perspectives, and through their own efforts, become high-quality exhibition professionals both universities can be proud of.
Zhang Qiyue, representative of the graduates of Grade 2020 from the School of International Education, and Wang Shunxing, representative of Grade 2023, gave speeches expressing sincere gratitude to both universities for providing valuable learning opportunities and excellent educational resources. They called on their fellow students to study hard, plan their future development, and adequately prepare themselves to become high-quality international exhibition professionals.
This opening ceremony was an important event during the visit of President Rowan Courtney O'Connor and his delegation from ICMS to our university. The leaders of both universities expressed heartfelt expectations for the students in the cooperative education program, and the students responded actively to show appreciation for the care and guidance of the leaders. Both universities will continue to deepen their cooperation, implement various tasks, and cultivate high-quality international exhibition professionals.
(Translated by Wang Xuefang, Proofread by Tao Jue)
