Shi said that this was his first graduation speech as president of West Lake University. In the past two weeks, he changed his manuscript five times and gradually made his position clear. He hopes to share two or three events in the birth of West Lake University with teachers and students.
He said: "Cutting-edge technology is undoubtedly a country's core competitiveness, and talents and education support cutting-edge technology. Compared with the population of nearly 65.438+0.4 billion, China's high-quality higher education resources are still pitiful; At present, the degree of educational diversification is far from meeting the urgent needs of innovative talent training and economic and social development. "
As a result, "a group of scientists who have returned from overseas and are familiar with Chinese and foreign education ... apart from their scientific research and teaching, they reached an understanding a few years ago to do something that can not only give back to their hometown, but also serve as a major event in the future of national science and technology education, that is, to establish a world-class research university jointly funded by social forces."
With such original intention and desire, with the strong support of the state and all walks of life, West Lake University was officially approved by the Ministry of Education in February this year, and its inauguration ceremony will be held in Hangzhou in June this year. At present, 64 outstanding scholars have signed contracts with West Lake University, and 9 doctoral students in West Lake Phase I/KLOC-0 have started scientific research and are ready to welcome nearly 30 teachers and sisters in West Lake Phase II/KLOC-0.
Shi said that West Lake University is the first non-profit research university in the history of our country, and a considerable part of its funds come from the West Lake Education Foundation. So far, the foundation has raised more donations than expected.
Later, he introduced the touching story of fund-raising: "2065438+2006, 65438+200610.9, with the support of South University of Science and Technology and the 11th President, the meeting of the Expert Association of Thousand Talents Program was held in Shenzhen. I introduced the preparations for West Lake University to my partner and revealed our difficulty: no money! At the meeting, in the melodious melody of My Chinese Dream, dozens of emotional returnees actually lined up and donated money enthusiastically. This donation of more than 20 million immediately solved the preparation expenses of West Lake University in 20 16. "
He feels that most of these experts have just started their own businesses or worked in domestic universities for a short time, and they are not rich. They donated their after-tax salary in the unit.
He also mentioned his hometown of Henan, entrepreneur Deng Ying and his wife. Although their enterprises are small in scale and do not make money; But they didn't have a high degree, hoping to do something practical for innovative education and science and technology in China, and finally decided to donate 1 100 million yuan to West Lake University.
Yu, a doctoral student in Peking University, donated one month's food expenses to West Lake University. He left a message, "I hope to support the noble soul of West Lake University with my meager strength. My research will not be fettered by the system, and I will not be tired of doing papers. Only in this way can we create real ideological works for the country, the nation and the society and win the respect of the world. "
Mr. Chen, an ordinary company employee in Hangzhou, donated money to West Lake University in the name of his daughter 104 17 yuan on her birthday in April this year. Mr. Zhou, a native of Wenzhou and living in French Guiana in South America all the year round, mobilized more than 30 local Chinese to donate money to West Lake University. He said, "We are descendants of China people who live on the Atlantic side of the Amazon virgin forest, closest to the sky and farthest from the motherland."
There are many such stories in the fundraising process of West Lake University, which are updated every day.
Shi said: "We are determined to do our best. Ten or twenty years later, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, there will be a new type of institution of higher learning, West Lake University, which is highly respected in the world. "
At the end of the speech, he sent a message to the graduates: "Life is like a blink of an eye. Your sincerity and dreams are far more important than what the outside world and others think of you, and more important than endless hot trends and public opinion. Why not walk screaming in the cold wind and rain? "