A special lecture began in the hall of Yifu Building in Siping Campus, Tongji University at 2 p.m. on May 23, with 50 audience on site and 22,000 alumni online from over 36 alumni associations worldwide. This online lecture, entitled "A Class for Tongji People" by President CHENJiemarked the opening of the "Lifelong Learning Platform for Tongji Alumni". It was also the first live broadcast of "Cloud Classes for the 113th Anniversary Celebration of Tongji University".
After the ringing of the bell, CHENstarted proceedings with a “roll call" forinteraction with the alumni on site and from branch venues both at home and abroad, and welcomedparticipants "back to school" to attend the class. Upon hearing the roll call, alumni in each venue waved their celebration plates, displaying their excitement and enlivening the atmosphere of the live broadcast.
With "Memory · Growth · Future" as the lecture theme, the president recalled the years of studying atTongji with the alumni. The familiar Tongji chops;the football tradition lasting for 80 years;the most popular Advanced Mathematics textbooks that students both love and hate; old and new appearances of the teaching buildings as well as dormitories and other subjects to reminisce, were included. Listening to the president's vivid and interesting speech, alumni members laughed repeatedly, and took out their mobile phones to take pictures and post on WeChat Moments. Whilst time increases day by day sincetheir departure from Tongji, the feelings of the alumni for their alma mater remained everlasting.
Under the theme of common growth, CHEN enumerated the achievements of reform and development in recent years from six aspects: discipline construction, talent cultivation, team building, scientific research, international exchange, and alumni service. He particularly spoke about the prospect that Tongji Alumni Association will become an organization with traditions, networks, platforms, brands, services, and ideals. In the future, it would continue to work with alumni through multiple lines and dimensions, so that each alumnus could remain emotionally connected with Tongji and contribute to the development oftheir alma mater after graduation. He observed that: "Tongji University has grown with its alumni together. The achievements of the former belong to the latter. The achievements of the latter are also the pride of the former".
Next, CHEN imagined the future with all alumni. He observed that faced with various challenges in this changeable era, Tongji people should hold onto the spirit of solidarity. We should improve ourselves through learning and pursue excellence, making efforts to achieve the goal of building a world-class university. The establishment of a lifelong learning platform for alumni complied with the trends of our time. This was, also, a further practical service to meet the needs of alumni. The opening of a lifelong learning platform for alumni on the 113th anniversary celebration of Tongji Universitywas moreover an opportunemanifestation of the common vision of Tongji people. He called on alumni worldwide, together with their alma mater, to look up at the heavenswhile keepingtheir feet firmly on dry land, and to keep learning and forge ahead bravely.
When the "bell" rang again, alumni were still listening eagerly. The president made warm exchanges with the audience on site as well as with the alumni groups in the internationalvenues of Germany and the United Kingdom, and in the Chinese venues of Dalian, Shenzhen, Xiamen andGuangxi. The alumni expressed blessings for the 113th birthday of their alma mater. They also gave praise to the "Cloud" lecture by President CHEN, and expressed their support and concern for the lifelong learning platform.
CHEN led all alumni who watched the live broadcast to shout out the slogan of this platform: "I am ready for lifelong learning", and wish their alma mater a happy 113th birthday! This loud appreciative shout propelled the class atmosphere to a peak. Finally, the president, together with LEIXinghui, the executive vice president of Tongji Alumni Association, gave an honour flag to representatives of the 2020 graduates, and expressed hopes and good wishes to thesegraduates.
The "Lifelong Learning Platform for Tongji Alumni" was a small program jointly developed by the Alumni Association of Tongji University and Internet companies run by Tongjialumni. It would gather quality universityand alumni education resources, to serve Tongji people and the society.
According a person in charge, this platform maysimultaneously connect quality education resources of the university, alumni and society, and provide flexible learning through technical means. The launch of this learning platform was another initiative by Tongji University as one of the first ten comprehensive reform pilots for all people education in China. Alumni became a force for "all people" education as the university provides lifelong education for them, truly achieving the goal of providing "all-round and full-process" education of students from enrollment to graduation.
Source: https://news.tongji.edu.cn/info/1002/73850.htm
