On the afternoon of 20 September, the Opening Ceremony for the 2026-intake students of DIICSU took place at the Central South Lecture Hall on the Xiaoxiang Campus of Central South University (CSU). Li Zhihong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of CSU and Vice President of CSU, and Kim Dale, Vice Principal of the University of Dundee (UoD), attended the ceremony. Key representatives from relevant departments of both universities, DIICSU teaching staff from both sides, and all 2026-intake students joined the event via a hybrid format of on-site attendance and online meeting. The ceremony was presided over by Gao Dongbo, Secretary of the Party Committee of DIICSU.
At the start of the ceremony, all staff and students watched a video chronicling the partnership history between the two universities, as well as the development journey of DIICSU.
Wang Qianshu, a year-2 student majoring in Civil Engineering, spoke as a student representative for senior cohorts. Drawing on her own study experience, she shared practical advice on adapting swiftly to an English-medium teaching environment and improving foreign-language communication skills. She encouraged new students to engage proactively with teachers and classmates, embrace exploration of the unknown, and continuously broaden their academic horizons.
Li Zhengdao, a 2026-intake student of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, reflected on his cross-cultural growth experience and expressed his high expectations for Sino-foreign cooperative education. He called on fellow new students to stand side by side and write a brilliant chapter of youth with the dedicated nurturing and full support of DIICSU.
Andrei Pisliakov, Executive Vice Dean of DIICSU, delivered remarks on behalf of teaching staff and extended a warm welcome to the 2026 intake. He encouraged new students to sustain intellectual curiosity, dare to ask questions and embrace experimentation, and seek timely support from teaching staff when facing difficulties. He set out the five educational principles of UoD as benchmarks for personal development and conveyed sincere expectations for the new students.
Kim Dale, Vice Principal of UoD, attended the ceremony in-person. She hoped that students would make the most of DIICSU as a bridge linking China and the UK to step onto a broader global stage. Noting the inspiring example set by DIICSU’s inaugural graduate cohort, she advised students to rise calmly to academic challenges. She put forward three expectations for the new students: to maintain intellectual curiosity, cultivate an open-minded outlook, and uphold a strong sense of responsibility. She expressed confidence that, with the combined support of the two leading universities, the new intake would pursue their dreams and forge ahead with resolve.
In his address, Vice President Li Zhihong looked back on the long-standing friendship and fruitful outcomes generated by bilateral exchanges dating back to 2009. He pointed out that DIICSU stands as a vivid example of China-UK educational exchange. DIICSU should carry forward CSU’s fine educational traditions, integrate high-quality educational resources from UoD, and build a platform for mutual learning between civilisations. He urged new students to cultivate commitment to focused scholarship, foster an inclusive mindset, live up to the university motto and ethos, develop a strong sense of national identity rooted in local realities together with an open global vision, and strive to become outstanding CSU&UoD students.
The ceremony concluded amid a warm atmosphere. Following the formal proceedings, attending leaders and distinguished guests posed for group photographs with all 2026-intake students.
