Beihang News October 23rd (Correspondent Chen Hui/Article Journalist Wan Qing Yang Zhenji/Photographer) On the morning of October 22nd, bright autumn decorated the beautiful campus of Beihang University, and rich Sino-French culture added to the cheerful festive atmosphere. On the theme of “Development, Opening up, Cooperation and Mutual Benefit”, a grand Ceremony Conference of 10th Anniversary of Beihang Sino-French Engineer School was hosted at Beihang Sunrise Concert Hall, welcoming domestic and overseas guests, alumni and faculty and student delegates to gather together, enjoy the ceremony with gratitude condensed in Sino-French sentiment, summarize the past and look forward to the future. Chinese guests present at the conference were: Deputy Director of the International Division of Ministry of Education Yu Jihai, Deputy Director General of State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs(SAFEA) Xia Mingjiu, Director General of Department of Cultural and Educational Experts, SAFEA, Xia Biao，Deputy Director of Department of Personnel and Education Gao Dongsheng,, member of Beijing Education Commission Huang Kan, Vice General Manager of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. Liu Linzong, Deputy Secretary General of China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) Zong Wa, etc. French guests included French ambassador Gu Shan, President of École centrale de Nantes, Lille, Marseille and President of Central Polytechnic University of Morocco. School leaders present included Secretary of Party Committee and Academician Zhang Jun, President and Academician Xu Huibin, Vice President and Academician Zhang Guangjun, Vice President and Professor Tao Zhi, Former President and Academician Li Wei and Former Vice President and Professor Zheng Zhiming. The ceremony conference was jointly hosted by Secretary of Party Committee and Chinese Director of Sino-French Engineer School Hong Guanxin and French Director Fu Jilong. Up to over 800 people including University Alliance of Beijing“Excellent Engineer Plan”, Sino-French cooperative education institutions, school enterprise partners, school high school partners, department and school representatives, school alumni representatives, all faculties and students attended the conference.
The conference was kicked off by the 10th-anniversary publicity film of Sino-French Engineer School. The film reviewed the ten-year development course of the school exploring the reform of higher engineering education and the cultivation of innovative international talents. In April 2005, with the support of the Chinese and French governments, Beihang University and Groupe des Écoles Centrales jointly established Sino-French Engineer School. The school aims to cultivate China's advanced level international general engineers, introduce the historic and world-renowned French engineer education system, combine the successful experience of Beihang University to build an international general engineer education system and talent cultivating mode rooted at local, and condense the orientation and connotation of the international general engineer talent training for engineering leaders and pioneers with global vision, systemic thinking, and collaborative innovation capacity that meet rapidly changing challenges in a diversified world. The school became the international higher engineering education experimental plot conformed to international standard and with Chinese characteristics. The publicity film fully demonstrated the school’s achievements in talent cultivation, international education, engineering practice teaching, enterprise cooperation, radiation effect, etc. over the past ten years, and prospected the vision of future development.
On behalf of the university, President and Academician Xu Huibin first made a speech at the conference extending his warmest congratulations to the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-French Engineer School. He also expressed sincere thankfulness towards Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology，Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and leaders of Beijing government who had long cared for and supported our university and Sino-French Engineer School, and the French Embassy, Groupe des Écoles Centrales and Sino-French enterprises who had long-term good cooperation with the university. He said that the Sino-French Engineer School has been committed to cultivating international general engineers over the past ten years, and has transported 356 internationally certified, outstanding Beihang University graduates with French general engineer diploma and Beihang Master's degree based on national strategic needs and unremitted educational pursuit to closely follow the forefront of the world's higher engineering education. He hoped that the Sino-French Engineer School adheres to the spirit of "patriotic dedication of courageous pioneers " and marches towards a world-renowned first-class institute, and wished the friendship between China and France evergreen.
In his speech, the French ambassador Mr. Gu Shan extended the festive greetings to all teachers and students at Sino-French Engineer School on behalf of the French embassy. He said that the cooperation between Beihang University and France has been pragmatic and fruitful, and that Sino-French Engineer School is the model and example of Sino-French education cooperation. He hoped that the two sides would further strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and contribute to the friendship between China and France.
The representative of the Ministry of Education, Deputy Director Yu Jihai and the representative of French Ministry of Higher Education and Research Ms. Marian respectively said that the Sino-French education cooperation had far-reaching impact on promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries, praised the school’s leading position and demonstration role in Sino-French higher education cooperation, and hoped that the school would continue to foster more outstanding talents. Deputy Director of SAFEA Xia Mingjiu fully affirmed the school’s achievement in the introduction of French quality education resources and foreign experts in his speech, and hoped that as a pilot plot of national "Promotion Plan of University International Demonstration School", the school would continue to strengthen the Sino-French talent cooperation. Enterprise representative and Vice General Manager of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. Liu Linzong and Mr. Rogrande of Safran S.A. spoke highly of the importance of the corporate partnership system, and expressed the support for a better development of the school as always. Alumni representative and employee of EDF Liu Sijie and Lu Tianxiang, who worked in the China National Aviation Technology Import and Export Corporation, respectively recalled the experience of growing up at the school, talked about the great help that general engineer cultivation had to profession, and expressed their gratitude and blessings to their alma mater and school.
The conference presented four awards at the 10th anniversary of Sino-French Engineer School, the Special Contribution Award, the Outstanding Management Contribution Award, the Excellent Teacher Award and the Outstanding Graduate Award. The former president of our school, Li Wei Academician, praised the founding and development of the school with "good timing, favorable geographical location and abundant support from the people", and the President of Groupe des Écoles Centrales fondly reviewed the course of construction of the school and was fully confident in the future development of the school.
The conference also carried out the joint signing activities of 20 Chinese and French enterprise partners. Sino-French Engineer School inherits and develops the enterprise partnership system, a fine tradition of the French engineer education, and vigorously develops the cooperation between the school and enterprises. Enterprises provided a variety of support including scholarships, internships, employment opportunities and so on for the school development and student cultivation. Representatives of the participating enterprises said that they would take this opportunity to continue to promote the cooperation and support the development of the school.
At the end of the conference, President and Academician Xu Huibin, and President of the Groupe des Écoles Centrales signed on behalf of the two sides to deepen the cooperation agreement between Beihang University and Groupe des Écoles Centrales. Beihang University will work with five French universities, as well as Central Polytechnic University of Morocco and Indian to form an "international school network" to further cooperate in the areas of talent training, teacher-student exchange and scientific research and innovation, etc.
Looking to the future, Sino-French Engineer School will continue to uphold the "Development, Opening Up, Cooperation and Win-win" spirit of education, relying on the construction of the national “Promotion Plan of University International Demonstration School" and Beijing "Industrial Science and Technology Internationalization Innovation Training Base" , and bring together industrial enterprises and social forces to strive to build the school into a world-class school that trains international general engineers rooted in China with ambitious goal setting and down-to-earth attitude.
