On the morning of October 23, SCMU held a ceremony to inaugurate its General Education Center. Attendees included Professor Li Jianzhong, Director of the General Education Center at Wuhan University; Professor Niu Weixing, Director of the Center for General Education at the University of Science and Technology of China; Professor Bai Yin, Director of the General Education Center at Central South University; Liu Yi, Deputy Secretary of the SCMU Party Committee and President; Qin Rui, Member of the Standing Committee of the SCMU Party Committee and Vice President; Wang Hong, Vice President of Guizhou Minzu University; Hu Shuibing, Vice President of Wuhan Huaxia Institute of Technology; heads of undergraduate schools and academic affairs offices from over 30 universities, including Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Central China Normal University; as well as SCMU's associate deans in charge of teaching, heads of relevant functional departments, and faculty and student representatives. Qin Rui presided over the ceremony.
The Ceremony in Progress. Photo by the Undergraduate School
Liu Yi delivered a welcome address. He noted that the establishment of the General Education Center marks an important decision made by the university following extensive research and careful deliberation. The center carries the distinctive mission of ethnic universities to fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education and strengthening the sense of community of the Chinese nation. He stated that the university would establish a triple support mechanism encompassing organizational support, financial support, and quality assurance, and provide full support for the center's development.
At the ceremony, Qin Rui read out theNotice on the Establishment of the General Education Center of South-Central Minzu University (SCMU). Liu Yi, together with Professors Li Jianzhong, Niu Weixing, and Bai Yin, jointly unveiled the plaque of the General Education Center of SCMU. This was followed by the presentation of appointment certificates. Liu Yi presented the certificates to Professor Li Jianzhong, who serves as an expert advisor; Professor Xie Rong'e, Director of SCMU's General Education Center; and the center's deputy director.
The Unveiling Ceremony. Photo by the Undergraduate School
Presentation of Appointment Certificates. Photo by the Undergraduate School
Xie Rong'e stated that the center would uphold its core philosophy of "Broad Learning, Clear Discernment, High Virtue, and the Pursuit of Goodness", develop a curriculum framework comprising "Two Foundational Guidance Courses + Four Major Modules", break down the boundaries of traditional classrooms, and steadily advance the development of general education courses and faculty training, thereby laying a solid humanistic foundation for students' long-term development.
Before the ceremony, letters of congratulations were sent by Xinya College of Tsinghua University, the Undergraduate School of East China Normal University, the Undergraduate School of Wuhan University of Technology, the Central China Alliance for General Education, and two member institutions of the alliance: the Undergraduate School of Zhengzhou University and the General Education Center of Hunan Agricultural University.
During the keynote session, Professor Li Jianzhong, Professor Niu Weixing, and Professor Bai Yin delivered keynote presentations entitledWandering Between Nanhu and Donghu and Finding Freedom in Poeticity and Duality,Role and Pathways of the History of Science and Technology in General Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, andGoals and Design of General Education in the AI Era: A Case Study of Central South University's General Education Plan, respectively. The three experts offered broad perspectives and fresh insights, and shared cutting-edge thinking and practical experience on topics including the redefinition of general education in the digital and intelligent era, curriculum reform, and implementation approaches, providing valuable insights for SCMU in advancing the high-quality development of general education.
SCMU's General Education Center is administratively affiliated with the Undergraduate School but operates independently in its professional work. It coordinates general education resources across the university and provides undergraduate students with a dual-track teaching model combining large-class lectures and small-group seminars. For the two courses, "Guided Readings in Classics of the Humanities and Social Sciences" and "Guided Readings in Classics of the Natural Sciences", Professors Li Jianzhong and Sang Jianping of Wuhan University have been engaged as advisors and honorary lead lecturers, among others. The two courses were first piloted in the fall semester of 2025. Students explored classical works through story-based salons, artistic presentations, flipped classrooms, and other formats, and the courses were well received.
The center has also launched four signature programs: the General Education Lecture, the Classics Reading Program, the General Education Fieldwork Program, and the Digital and Intelligent General Education Resource Database. Through these programs, the center will organize students to conduct fieldwork in rural communities in ethnic regions, including research on intangible cultural heritage, the transmission of traditional skills, and oral history documentation. According to its three-year development plan, the center will advance through three stages: consolidating the foundation, improving the system, and shaping distinctive features. It will also deepen inter-university collaboration through the Central China Alliance for General Education.
Editor-in-charge: Liu Qiong Reviewed by: Lei Changsheng Uploaded by: Liu Hong Release Date: October 23, 2026 Reception Date: October 23, 2026
