On the afternoon of April 12, NAU convened a meeting in the 3rd-floor meeting room of the Jinling Research Institute, where the appointment by the Leading Party Group of the Ministry of Education of Mr. Chen Ligen as Member of the CPC Committee, Member of the Standing Committee, and Secretary of the CPC Committee, of NAU, was announced.
At the meeting, Vice Minister of Education Mr. Zhu Zhiwen announced the Notice of the Leading Party Group of the Ministry of Education regarding the appointment of Chen Ligen on behalf of the MOE.
Mr. Zhu first highly acknowledged the academic status of NAU as well as the outstanding contributions it has made to China’s agricultural modernization. He pointed out that over its 110-year history, NAU has been committed to its motto of “integrity, simplicity, diligence and benevolence” as well as to its values of “putting students first, upholding moral standards, promoting scholarship and contributing to the community” and that the university has produced a large number of accomplished alumni in the areas of agricultural education, science, technology and management, who are also significant contributors to China’s economic and rural development.
Mr. Zhu gave an introduction of Chen Ligen, and on behalf of the Leading Party Group of MOE, raised requirements for the future development of NAU.
Before closing his speech, Mr. Zhu added that NAU should identify its new mission and create a new legacy in this new era. MOE expects NAU’s leadership, faculty and students to stay true to their commitments, write a new glorious chapter in the history of NAU and make greater contributions to the national endeavor of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the Chinese dream of national revitalization.
Mr. Chen Ligen also gave a speech at the meeting. He first expressed his gratitude for the organization’s confidence in and development of him as well as his awareness of the glory and responsibility associated with the new position. He also expressed his determination to live up to the expectations of the Leading Party Group of MOE, the CPC Committee of Jiangsu Province and NAU’s faculty and students, saying that he will always keep the mission in mind, take ownership, stay committed to his duty and work hard together with President Zhou Guanghong to take the university to new heights and fulfill the wishes of history, the organization, all faculty members and students as well as alumni.
Mr. Chen reviewed the history of NAU and its accomplishments in recent years, saying he will rigorously follow the principle of “being a politician who is conversant with education and being an educator who is politically minded” in performing his duty to the best of his ability to contribute to the development of NAU.
In terms of future work, he said that he will focus on four priorities—First, always move in the right direction with a correct orientation; second, stick with and enhance the system of the president being responsible for administration under the leadership of the CPC committee by supporting the president’s exercise of autonomy within the law, strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership of the university and improving the capabilities of the leadership team; third, always put people first in serving the faculty and students by upholding the principles of centering education on talent and character development, addressing the needs of and seeking advice from the faculty and students before decision-making, and reshaping our determination, horizons and environment to build a world-class university; finally, always act with integrity and be a role model by seeking feedback from all stakeholders and putting himself under the scrutiny of the faculty and students.
Mr. Chen emphasized that all people across NAU should always keep the university’s position in mind and mobilize resources from all stakeholders to fulfill its social responsibility by strengthening top-down design and systematic planning to align its development with national strategies, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, targeted poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. He will work closely with other management members as well as with the faculty and students to transform NAU into a world-class university with world-class disciplines. To this end, they will focus their attention on priority areas that will have a bearing on NAU’s long-term development, including the development of talent, new campus, disciplines and the faculty, education internationalization, and the protection of the rights and interests of all faculty and staff members. Together, they will take NAU to new heights by creating new growth drivers in a focused, enterprising, pioneering and innovative spirit. Moreover, they will see themselves as the members of a team participating in a relay race and make all-out efforts, regardless of whether they can be the individual to finish the last leg. As the helmsman of NAU that rides on the wave of this new era, he will navigate the ship—at full throttle—towards a brighter future.
On behalf of the current leadership team, the faculty and students, Mr. Zhou Guanghong expressed full support for the appointment and extended gratitude to the MOE and the CPC Committee of Jiangsu Province for their support over the years. He also commended former Party Secretary Mr. Zuo Wei for his contributions to NAU and expressed his warm welcome to Mr. Chen Ligen as Party Secretary of NAU.
