On the afternoon of September 14, IMU's 2024 freshmen opening ceremony was grandly held in front of the Zhuoyue Building at Yuquan Campus. A total of 3,425 graduate students and 4,370 undergraduate students from all over the country will embark on a new journey of life here as "IMUers" (Inner Mongolia University members).
The ceremony was attended by Party Secretary Cheng Tao, President Wu Limin, Deputy Party Secretary Qiao Biao, Vice Presidents Liu Yongbin, Du Fenglian, Dahubaiyila, the Deputy Party Secretary and President of the Transportation Vocational and Technical College, Baituoya, as well as the main leaders of various departments, teaching auxiliary units, party secretaries, deans, and representatives responsible for youth league and student work from each college, along with faculty representatives and the 2024 freshman. The ceremony was hosted by Qiao Biao.
At 3:00 PM, the bright Five-Star Red Flag rose slowly amid the majestic national anthem. All teachers and students faced the national flag and sang the national anthem together, The opening ceremony officially kicked off.
Prof. Chen Shufeng, a doctoral supervisor from College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, spoke on behalf of the faculty. He shared his own learning experiences with the students. He encouraged everyone to continuously adjust their mindset and know themselves in their study and life, to make good life plans and become someone who can plan their life. He hoped that the students would strive towards their goals with solid steps, spend their time at IMU meaningfully, gain knowledge, find their direction in life, and become mature and confident, facing the future with a positive attitude.
Wang Jie, a 2022-grade master's student from the College of Energy Materials and Chemistry, spoke on behalf of the current students and shared his learning insights at IMU and inspired the students to take academia as their vocation, maintain curiosity about the unknown world, continuously explore and move forward, and recognize their own value, interests, and dreams, making choices they can be proud of.
Zhang Jingmin, a 2024-grade doctoral student from the College of Liberal Arts and Journalism, and Zhang Jingmeng, a 2024-grade undergraduate student from the Law School, spoke on behalf of the new postgraduate and undergraduate students respectively. They expressed their new expectations of acquiring new knowledge, embracing new opportunities and challenges, and learning how to be a person, do things, and pursue scholarship. They also conveyed their firm determination to tenaciously strive, temper their skills, and be brave in innovation in their study and life.
The IMU presented leaders respectively pinned school badges on the representatives of graduate and undergraduate freshmen.Gao Qiying and Sun Lei, representatives of current students, led the oath. All 2024 freshmen raised their right fists and took a collective entrance oath facing the school flag.
The school badge and the school flag carry the mission and glory of the IMUers, brimming with the blessings and entrustments of the teachers. As the 2024 freshmen collectively wore the school badges and take a solemn oath to the school flag. From now on, they became part of the IMU family, connected by the bond of the IMU. The school badge on their chests and the school flag in their sights inspire the IMU students to strive under the guidance of the school motto "Seek Truth and Be Pragmatic," and to chase their dreams for the future.
President Wu Limin delivered a speech titled "Taking ideals as the helm and responsibility as the sail, forging the souls of patriotism, struggle, innovation, and practical work". On behalf of Secretary Cheng Tao and on behalf of all teachers and students of IMU, he extended a warm welcome and heartfelt congratulations to the 2024 freshmen from all over the country, and expressed sincere thanks and lofty respect to the parents and teachers who have accompanied and guided the growth and success of the students all the way. He also taught a vivid "first lesson of the semester" to the young students and sent deep messages to them.
Wu Limin hoped that students would keep in mind the earnest message given by General Secretary Xi Jinping to young students when he inspected IMU: "Be ambitious and down-to-earth, learn knowledge well, lay a good foundation, increase abilities, and contribute wisdom and strength to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the future."Forge the soul of patriotism with lofty aspirations and resolute responsibilities; forge the soul of struggle with concentration on learning and positive progress; forge the soul of innovation with continuous exploration and pursuit of excellence; forge the soul of practical work with unity and cooperation and diligent progress. Raise the sails of ideals, develop together with the times and forge ahead with the motherland. Devote oneself to hard work, boldly create and innovate, and practice the fundamentals of life and career. Strive to become useful talents and pillars of the country's construction and write a different and wonderful life in the great practice of realizing the Chinese dream.
At the end of the opening ceremony, the attendees sang the school song of IMU, "IMU - The Cradle of Civilization."
After the ceremony, the students expressed that they would cherish time, live up to their youth, and fulfill the mission of being IMUers. With the support of the excellent educational conditions provided by IMU, they are determined to study hard and write their stories of struggle with the sweat of their youth, and heading toward their own future.
