New Year Greetings for 2016 from Chairman Liu Jianping and President Li Jiajun

Seasons change, and we farewell the old year and ring in the new. With the New Year approaching, on behalf of the university and in our own names, we would like to extend our New Year greetings to all university staff members and students, retired colleagues, alumni at home and abroad and the people from all circles who have supported Tianjin University’s progress and development!

2015 is a crucial year for Tianjin University to comprehensively deepen the reforms; also it is the final year for achieving the “Twelfth Five-Year” planning goals. Over the past year, our university’s faculty and students have inherited the mission of "Prospering the Nation with Education", comprehensively deepening the reforms, and vigorously promoting the university’s governance systems and modernizing the governance capabilities. All obligations have been carried out steadily, and long-term progress have been made in many aspects. During this year, we celebrated the 120th Anniversary of Tianjin University. On the occasion of the 120th anniversary, we paid tribute to the predecessors, reviewed the history, reflected on the friendships between faculty and students, and consolidated the consensus of development. We have experienced the relocation of the university to the Peiyang Park Campus, further expanded the space of the university and accumulated the power for the university’s development in the next cycle of sixty years. During the relocation period, more than 20,000 faculty and students from twelve schools (departments) enthusiastically participated and selflessly dedicated their time to the relocation. We would like to express our sincere respect and gratitude to all of you!

During this year, we advanced the educational reforms and developed the talents with comprehensive skills. Tianjin University perfected the “Outstanding Talent Training System”, implemented the curriculum and credit system of extracurricular practical education for undergraduate students. Our university also developed the innovative entrepreneurship education program, established the Xuanhuai School, and created an open platform for education, training and incubation of ideas and new technologies. Our university’s entrepreneurial innovation center was affirmed as the first batch of the Group Innovation Space (GIS) and approved by the Minister of Education and Tianjin City. In 2015 the percentage of graduates working in key industries regions and organizations was, 57.94%. Looking forward to the New Year, we will continue to build the “Outstanding Talent Training System” and “Environment Supporting System”, and cultivate outstanding talents with “patriotism, global perspectives, innovative spirit, and practical abilities”.

During the year, we improved the reforms made in the personnel system, and vigorously promoted the “the strategy of strengthening the university through training of talents”. In early 2015, the university held a talent training conference, issued the "opinions of Tianjin University to further improve the reformation of the personnel system ",to further carry out the new employment system for all the staff, implemented a management system of classifying staff and built a system for recording tenured staff. We will continue to strengthen the construction of a high-level talented team.  Four "Distinguished Young Scholars", six "Excellent Youth" and forty-seven scholars of the National and Tianjin "Thousand Talents Plan" were newly approved. Looking forward to the New Year, we must continue to reform the personnel system, build a high-quality teaching team in line with the need to develop a leading world-class university.

During the year we accelerated and optimized the structure of disciplines, integrated the delivery of multidiscipline, and perfected the scientific and technological innovation system. We improved the entire structure of the disciplines, and in succession established the Institute of Surface-Earth System Science and the School of Law. Significant scientific and technological achievements were obtained including five National Science and Technology Progress Awards, three major projects in Humanities and Social Sciences, an innovative and intelligence base, twenty-seven Tianjin Technological Invention Awards, and a paper published in Science by Professor Chen Yan as first author. The Qingdao Institute of Oceanology was launched to meet the requirements of the national strategic deployment plan and social development. In the coming year, we must continue to strengthen the top-level design of the disciplinary structure, broaden the chain of knowledge innovation, technological innovation and technology transfer, and meticulously improve the ability of science and technology innovation to serve the national strategic plan.

During the year, we invigorated the vitality of the university’s operations, and accelerated the establishment of a modern university system. We broadly endorsed the principle of continuing to operate and manage the university by law, and developed the university supervision system with the “Tianjin University Statute” at its core. We carried out the special educational subject of "Three Stricts and Three Steadies” in a deep on-going fashion, and intensified the building of a “clean” party according to the requirements of the Central Committee. International strategies were carried out efficiently, and collaborative agreements were signed with thirty universities including the Nice Sophia Antipolis University (France). We explored different multi-campus operations and management modes such as providing a general service hall and online services, and strove to solve the hot issues of traffic congestion, and providing meals and kindergartens, all of which are common concerns among teachers and students. Looking forward to the New Year, we should work towards an all-inclusive governance system, constantly improve our management systems and operations, promote the cultural heritage of the campus and its innovation in order to provide a solid support and speed up the development of a leading world-class university.

The New Year's bell has rung; we are standing at a prominent historical moment of 120 years. Reflecting on the past in the light of the present, and projecting into the future, we must clarify the mission of developing a leading world-class university, and plan a grand blueprint for the advancement of the "Thirteenth-Five” Year plan. Inspired by the mission of “prospering the country through science and education", let us gather the wisdom and strength of all the "Tianjin University people" from home and abroad, strive ahead hand-in-hand with concerted efforts, continue composing the Peiyang movement, and re-creating a new brilliance together!

I wish you and your families a Happy New Year, good health, success in your careers, and every happiness.