On September 3, the High School Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology (HSAS) held its 2020 opening ceremony. Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau Deputy Director Li ZHAO, HSAS Principal Peidong Wang, and SUSTech University Council Chairperson Yurong GUO all attended the opening ceremony. They joined SUSTech leaders, academicians, and unit leaders, along with the HSAS community, to witness this moment in HSAS history. HSAS Vice-Principal Yonghe SUN presided over the opening ceremony.
HSAS enrolled students for the first time in their history, with the first honorary students making up a class of 700 students. The entrance requirements for HSAS ranked them 14th in Shenzhen.
HSAS Principal Peidong WANG spoke about the philosophy of HSAS. She said that HSAS would inherit the SUSTech spirit of “For Truth, Innovation, Reform and Excellence with Diligence and Courage.” SUSTech’s implementation of its innovative talent training model could be applied for high schools as well as universities. She thanked the SUSTech community for their support in the development and preparation of HSAS. All the efforts that went into the first day of HSAS are inseparable from the support from the city of Shenzhen, Bao’an District, and SUSTech.
HSAS will be an international, innovative, and high-tech high school to become a top municipal and national center for learning. Following on from SUSTech’s three philosophical pillars of “research, innovation, and entrepreneurship,” HSAS will have a similar philosophy of “acquire knowledge, seek the truth, pursue originality.” They will seek to cultivate ambitious young men and women with a global outlook and creative self-confidence that will become the leaders of the future.
SUSTech University Council Chairperson Yurong GUO spoke on behalf of SUSTech, congratulating HSAS Principal Peidong WANG and the leadership team. She thanked Shenzhen for its ongoing support for SUSTech and its growth in education at all levels. There will be significant expectations on HSAS by many across Shenzhen and the country. As an affiliated unit of SUSTech, HSAS will continue to explore, reform, and innovate in secondary education. It will find new educational opportunities that support the development of Shenzhen, the Greater Bay Area, and China.
HSAS will lean on SUSTech’s experience in higher education reform. SUSTech University Council Chairperson Yurong GUO anticipated that many productive relationships would be formed with different departments at SUSTech. Their “Academician Class” will see Academicians, Fellows, experts, and scholars participate in elite classes as part of the “Institute of Future Education.” Students in these selected classes will take part in a broad range of competitions and fieldwork under the administration of SUSTech.
Yurong GUO hoped every student would persevere in their studies as they laid the foundation for their future careers, dreams, and passions. Together, HSAS is building a platform to become a new prestigious school for Shenzhen.
SUSTech Vice President and Provost Dongxiao ZHANG said that HSAS and SUSTech would work together with their mutual advantages in talent pipeline development. HSAS has now completed the entire SUSTech talent pipeline from pre-school education to postdoctoral training. It promises to promote the establishment of a world-class research-oriented high school in Shenzhen.
Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau Deputy Director Li ZHAO said that HSAS will become an outstanding representative for high-quality secondary education in the Greater Bay Area. He pointed out that HSAS is a vital part of Shenzhen’s growing strength in education. The Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau will continue to care and support the unique development of HSAS.
Following the first flag-raising ceremony at HSAS, SUSTech University Council Chairperson Yurong GUO was granted the flag by HSAS.
HSAS is a public high school invested in and constructed by the Shenzhen Municipal Government. It will explore interdisciplinary and project-based learning to inspire the students’ inherent desire to explore. Within the campus, there are centers such as the Institute of Future Education, the STEAM Center, the Future Classroom, and the 3D Printing Research Room. These centers provide a logical extension for the development of each student’s cognition while enriching their personality, comprehensive development, and personal growth.
The HSAS Academic Committee has brought together 13 domestic and international academicians from SUSTech, along with 120 experts and scholars. SUSTech President Shiyi CHEN will serve as the Honorary Chairman. Vice President and Provost Dongxiao ZHANG will serve as the Chairman, and Teaching Affairs Director Kefu HUANG will serve as the Deputy Chairman. Faculty Committee Head Professor Qingsong LIU (Ocean Science and Engineering) will serve as its Secretary-General.
The team of HSAS educators is among the best of the best in China. Many have won various awards, having been recruited from top schools and universities across China and around the world. They will be supported by the entire faculty team of SUSTech, as they continue to improve through their ongoing professional development. HSAS will lean on SUSTech’s experience in higher education reform. It will form productive relationships with different departments at SUSTech to develop the first step in the talent pipeline.
