On the afternoon of September 15, as the new academic year commenced, the faculty meeting for the fall 2025 semester at SJTU Paris Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT) was successfully held in Lecture Hall 205 of the Sino-French Building. Attendees included Xiong Zhenhua, Secretary of the CPCC of SPEIT; Chen Cailian, Chinese Dean; Zied Moumni, French Dean; Lu Jialiang, Vice Dean; Yao Xue, Vice Secretary of the CPCC of SPEIT; and Zhong Shengyi, Vice Dean. Nearly 80 faculty and staff members gathered to welcome the promising new semester. The meeting was chaired by Xiong Zhenhua.
Xiong Zhenhua first extended heartfelt gratitude and profound respect to all faculty and staff on behalf of the leaders of SPEIT. He noted that over the past semester, SPEIT has achieved remarkable progress in talent cultivation, teaching and education, scientific research and innovation, as well as the development of SPEIT.
Chen Cailian delivered the opening address and presented a report on faculty development for the new semester. She first recognized staff members who had demonstrated outstanding performance in research, administration, and other areas, encouraging all teachers to approach the new semester with renewed enthusiasm. Subsequently, Chen Cailian formally introduced the 17 new faculty members, including 11 teachers, 4 administrative staff, and 2 French teaching assistants.
New faculty members took the stage one by one to introduce themselves, receiving rounds of applause.
Lu Jialiang, Yao Xue, and Zhong Shengyi delivered work reports from the perspectives of teaching, student affairs, and research respectively.
Lu Jialiang elaborated on core topics including new discipline development, classroom teaching reform, balancing faculty teaching and research responsibilities, and cultivating “master-level” talent, using “Innovation · Integration · Empowerment” as key themes. He previewed the upcoming academic year's teaching arrangements, proposing to deepen diversified student development based on the “Descartes Class,” strengthen personalized support, advance “Mathematics + AI” curriculum development, explore integrated undergraduate-to-doctoral training models, and comprehensively enhance students' core competitiveness.
Yao Xue reviewed undergraduate admissions, noting that 2025 will welcome the largest freshman in history with continuously improving student quality. She highlighted the smooth implementation of military training and orientation programs, praising the freshmen's enthusiastic and positive spirit. She also previewed the diverse student activities planned for the new semester and emphasized that safeguarding student mental health requires the collective effort of all faculty members.
Zhong Shengyi reviewed SPEIT's research and industry-university collaboration progress, introduced support measures for research and platform development, and outlined the “tailored support” project mechanism. She emphasized that the new academic year will further strengthen full-cycle management of research projects and foster a vibrant academic atmosphere.
Concluding the assembly, Zied Moumni delivered a summary address. He noted that the 2024–2025 academic year marks a pivotal turning point for SPEIT. SPEIT has successfully restructured its curriculum, integrating artificial intelligence, critical thinking, and innovative spirit into talent development, established a rigorous quality management system, and further expanded close ties with the business industry. This year's record-high enrollment of new students fully reflects society's trust and recognition. Looking ahead, the school will continue to deepen reform achievements and enhance educational quality. He called on all faculty to unite in purpose, care for one another, take pride in their shared mission, and collectively make SPEIT better.
The conference concluded successfully amid enthusiastic applause. In the new semester, all faculty and staff will join hands with the Sino-French team, driven by high morale and pragmatic actions, to jointly pioneer a new chapter of “excellence, internationalization, and distinction”!