On the afternoon of September 7, China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) held the 2023 Teaching Awards Ceremony to celebrate the 39th Teachers’ Day and honor the teaching careers of CUPL staff. All members of the senior management team of CUPL, representatives of award winners, retired staff, directors of the board, alumni, heads of school and administrative offices, fresh teaching staff, and students attended the ceremony. Vice President Feng Shiyong presided over the ceremony.
Revolving around the theme “Teaching for a Strong China”, the ceremony kicked off in the wake of the national anthem at 3 pm.
During the ceremony, outstanding teams and individuals in the 2022-2023 academic year from the teaching, research, student affairs, management, tutoring, and logistics branches were awarded. The senior management of CUPL granted awards to the award winners who were congratulated by applause.
(The 2023 Teaching Awards Ceremony, photo credit: Lu Yunkai)
Prof. Yang Xiuqing from the Civil, Commercial and Economic Law School, winner of the “Extraordinary Contributing Faculty Award”, delivered a speech as a representative of the award winners. In her speech, she introduced the “three principles” that she believed the faculty of CUPL need to uphold: the calling of the teaching career, the awe of the role of the teacher, and love for students. She advocated that CUPL faculty need to strengthen their morality, teaching contribution, and communication with students in a view of cultivating students.
(“Extraordinary Contributing Faculty” Award winners, photo credit: Lu Yunkai)
CUPL alumni have also dedicated to supporting the faculty of their Alma Matar. In recent years, Hu Chongming, Alumnus and Director of the board of CUPL and Chair of Heitao Entertainment Technology Co., Ltd., has helped set up “‘Zhongkai’ Exemplary Young Faculty Award” and “Chongming Fund of Rule of Law” to support teaching and research, alumni affairs, poverty alleviation and pandemic responses. The Guangdong Yinglian Co., Ltd. has established and sponsored the “‘Weng Shi Teaching Fund” to reward excellent faculty. Council Hu Chongming of Zhongkai & Partners and Chair Weng Weiwu of Guangdong Yinglian Co., Ltd. presented the above awards to the winner representatives.
To strengthen virtues and ethics among teachers and encourage respect for faculty, the “Exemplary Teachers of CUPL Award” was set up this year, for which the first batch of award winners were honored in the ceremony. Attendees learned the stories of the award winners by watching the video “Exemplary Teachers of CUPL” together and recognized the moral guidance and ethics of CUPL’s teaching staff.
(The 2023 Teaching Awards Ceremony, photo credit: Lu Yunkai)
Council Chair Hu Ming granted awards to 19 representatives of the senior faculty whose teaching career spans three decades to commemorate their dedication and devotion to their teaching career. Prof. Cao Mingde has witnessed the development of the environment law discipline and CUPL’s achievements in education that serve the CPC, China, and the rule of law. In his speech, he pointed out that integrity and moral cultivation are the fundamental mission of education, and he would continue to stay true to his commitment to this mission.
(Council Chair Hu Ming awarding the senior faculty whose teaching career lasted over three decades, photo credit: Lu Yunkai)
With the help of representatives of senior faculty who worked for three decades, representatives of new faculty wore the university badge. They also gave flowers to senior award winners and were solemnly sworn in, pledging to pass down diligence, devotion, and dedication to teaching careers from the older generation of CUPL faculty. As one of the new faculty joining CUPL this year, Dr. Wang Peijie from the School of Political Science and Public Administration delivered a speech on how to be a good teacher at CUPL, sharing her thoughts on teaching and research, relations between individuals and teams and that between individuals and the nation. She pledged that she would work closely with the team to serve and make contributions to society and the country.
(New faculty making teaching commitments, photo credit: Lu Yunkai)
(President Ma Huaide delivering a speech, photo credit: Lu Yunkai)
President Ma Huaide, on behalf of CUPL, extended greetings to the faculty, best wishes to the retired staff, and heartfelt congratulations to all honored teachers. He pointed out that the impacts of education on both students and teachers make teaching extraordinary as a career. It is the faculty’s contribution and devotion that makes teaching an extraordinary job. It is those who do the best in everything that nourish the minds of students and lay the foundation of teaching ethics and a sound atmosphere in CUPL.
He shared his thoughts on how to live up to the CPC and the country’s expectations of teachers and how to keep original aspirations to teach and cultivate talent by expounding his observations.
First, stay firm in convictions and ideals and set up “high standards”. Since the founding of CUPL, CUPL’s faculty have been “keeping the country and its people in mind”. President Ma Huaide hoped that they would seize opportunities and rise to challenges to shoulder great responsibilities and write new chapters for the building of education strengths and the rule of law in China.
Second, be examples of moral pioneers. As the saying goes, “the words of good teachers will serve as norms of intellectuals and their behavior the examples the society look up to.” CUPL faculty has set good examples in life and in academic pursuits and had impacts on students. Many of them become great mentors in the eyes of students and models in the eyes of young teachers.
Third, improve academic proficiencies in the pursuit of greater progress. Academic proficiencies should be the core of great scholars in the new era. Scholars need to ask meaningful questions, do real researches; make innovations to contribute to the academic world; and teach students with selfless dedication to make further contributions in education to the building of a modern socialist country in all respects.
Fourth, be benevolent and loving. The teaching staff in CUPL should guide students to love their nation and make contributions to their homeland. They should also love their teaching career and keep in mind their duties to the Party, the nation, and the rule of law. They need to care and be friends with students. Moreover, they need to translate their affection for CUPL into contributions to its building of a world-class university.
President Ma Huaide pointed out that we need to respect teachers and encourage them to uphold their beliefs in serving the country, pursue academic progress, and strengthen moral cultivation in a view of creating an extraordinary life.
The ceremony ended with the anthem of CUPL, Qinghuai Fada.
