Sino-Russian Education Cooperation Bears Fruit! First Batch of 134 Undergraduate Students Jointly Trained by HIT and SPbU Graduate

As one of the first key events and projects listed in “The China-Russia Education Years,” the First Undergraduate Graduation Ceremony of the HIT Sino-Russian Joint Campus and the Degree Conferral Ceremony of St. Petersburg State University (hereinafter referred to as SPbU) were held at the HIT International Campus on June 21. The first batch of 134 undergraduate students jointly trained by HIT and SPbU have graduated and received their degrees, embarking on a new journey.

In his address, Zhao Lei pointed out that in recent years, HIT and SPbU have advanced the construction of the Sino-Russian Joint Campus with high standards, jointly creating a shining brand for the joint cultivation of top-notch innovative talents in basic disciplines between China and Russia, setting a new model for Sino-Russian educational exchange and cooperation. This year marks the launch of  “The China-Russia Education Years.” He expressed the hope that the two universities will further summarize their experience in jointly cultivating top-tier talents, leverage the newly approved cooperative education platform, and jointly create a more influential benchmark for Sino-Russian education cooperation, turning the Sino-Russian Joint Campus into an international education demonstration zone, an international talent pool, a growth pole for basic disciplines, and a new platform for cutting-edge international cross-disciplinary research. He also hoped that the first graduates of the Sino-Russian Joint Campus would integrate their personal ideals and pursuits into the great cause of the China-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for a New Era, becoming inheritors of the two countries' lasting friendship and pioneers of technological innovation.

In his address, Xu Zhenyu noted that Heilongjiang Province has always placed Sino-Russian educational exchanges in an important position to serve the nation's overall diplomacy and regional development and revitalization. The province has successively established 16 China-Russia University Alliances, represented by the Association of Sino-Russian Technical Universities (ASRTU) led by HIT, with relevant achievements repeatedly written into China-Russia joint statements. As a shining example of Heilongjiang's education opening to the north, HIT, together with SPbU, has elevated Sino-Russian education cooperation from the project level to the systemic level, exploring a benchmark path for Sino-foreign cooperative education. The Education Department of Heilongjiang Province will continue to strongly support the university's development and support HIT in building the Sino-Russian Joint Campus into a “national model and global window.”

Chen Jie and Sergey Mikushev, on behalf of HIT and SPbU respectively, presented graduation messages and exclusive commemorative notebooks to the graduates.

In his address, Sergey Mikushev expressed gratitude to Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China for its unwavering support, attention, and solid guarantees for the cooperative education program between SPbU and HIT. He stated that since the day the Joint Campus was founded, the two universities have continuously expanded areas of cooperation, deepened academic exchanges between faculty and students, and jointly established interdisciplinary laboratories and research centers, writing the most brilliant chapter in strategic cooperation between top universities in Russia and China. On behalf of SPbU, he congratulated all graduates on obtaining their higher education diplomas and becoming uniquely qualified professionals. He expressed the hope that the graduates would forever maintain an enterprising spirit on their future life paths, fear no complex scientific or professional challenges, cherish dialogue and mutual respect between different cultures, and always serve as sincere ambassadors of friendship and scientific cooperation between the two countries.

In his address, Han Jiecai pointed out that since its establishment, the Sino-Russian Joint Campus has always adhered to high starting points and high standards in education, bringing together the advantageous disciplinary resources and top faculty of both universities. The cooperation between the two sides has gradually upgraded from a project to a joint institute, with the educational landscape fully expanding. In May of this year, witnessed by the heads of state of both countries, the two universities signed an agreement on jointly building the China-Russia Institute of Excellent Engineers project, further elevating cooperation to the national strategic level. The first graduates of the Joint Institute carry the mission of Sino-Russian friendly exchange and scientific and technological collaboration, and are also the vital force driving future cooperation between the two countries in various fields. He expressed the hope that all graduates would forever maintain their innovative spirit, bravely scale new heights, and become leaders in solving scientific and technological challenges; embrace the world, connect China and Russia, and become friendly envoys of mutual learning between civilizations; shoulder their mission, strive for excellence, and become elite pioneers capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities.

Professor Han Xiaojun from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, as a faculty representative, offered words of encouragement to all graduates: to have both the patience to “take root downward” and the confidence to “grow upward,” becoming pioneers in the field of basic research; to actively integrate into the global innovation network, tell China's story well on the international academic stage, and serve as a bridge connecting the world; to maintain the determination to “keep going” on the path of scientific exploration, possessing both the courage to set out and the composure to slow down when needed.

“In an open yet rigorous campus atmosphere, I found the direction I am passionate about. In the future, I will take mathematics as my foundation and continue to delve into the intersection of artificial intelligence and basic disciplines.” “In the future, I will integrate my personal growth into the needs of national development, and I also look forward to returning to HIT or continuing my studies at SPbU after completing my master's degree, to continue pursuing my academic ideals.” Yu Rongyi from the School of Mathematics and Li Jianing from the School of Physics spoke as graduate representatives, sharing their four years of learning and growth experiences at the Sino-Russian Joint Campus, and expressing their determination to pursue their life ideals and contribute to building a strong nation.