On April 2, the International Hall of the Academic Exchange Center was filled with a warm atmosphere and rounds of applause as the University’s 2026 Young Faculty Reading and Speech Competition, themed “Taking Solid Action and Forging Ahead in the 15thFive-Year Plan, Writing a New Chapter in Consolidating the Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation”, took place there. Nineteen young faculty members from 17 departments shared their learning experiences and practical insights with sincere emotions and vivid examples, focusing on implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20thCentral Committee of the Communist Party of China, gaining an in-depth understanding of the strategic plan for the 15thFive-Year Plan, and thoroughly studying and applying General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, all while considering their actual roles in teaching and nurturing students.
Chen Fei, President of the Speech Association of Hubei Province, along with responsible officials from the Office of Faculty Affairs of the University Party Committee, Office of Student Affairs of the University Party Committee, Youth League Committee, and Trade Union, served as judges.
During the competition, 19 contestants took the stage one by one, vividly interpreting the mission and responsibility of educators in the new era from various dimensions. Rooted in the front line of education, they shared touching stories of practice: one spoke of moving from military service to campus, leading students in red education and border-area home visits as a fulfillment of responsibility; another explored intangible cultural heritage as a bridge, going into the field with students to touch the roots of culture; another used campus big data to precisely assist disadvantaged students, holding fast to the warm commitment of “leaving no child behind”; another shared heartwarming stories of approaching, caring for, and uplifting students; and yet another took students from the University History Museum, the Library, and the Ethnology Museum to grassroots communities in ethnic regions, embarking on the innovative journey of “Following the General History Textbook Across China” to understand the spiritual roots of ethnic unity and convey the voice of solidarity.
The Site of the Speech Competition.(Photo by Zeng Liyan and Yang Xin)
The Site of the Speech Competition.(Photo by Zeng Liyan, Yang Xin and Hu Miao)
Specialist teachers elaborated with ease, integrating their teaching and research practices. Mei Peng from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science shared his journey from persisting in research in a foreign laboratory to engaging in science popularization and education in ethnic regions, recounting the responsibility of serving the country through research after completing his studies abroad. Sun Peng from the School of Music and Dance, drawing on a moving story from the grasslands of Qinghai, recounted his practice of leading students to root themselves among the people and making the art classroom an important battleground for nurturing character and strengthening the soul. Yang Fanglin from the School of Fine Arts, using rural fieldwork as a living classroom, shared her mental journey from being an “outsider” to becoming a “member of the family” for villagers, expressing her insights on serving the people’s well-being and consolidating a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation in the process of protecting vernacular dwellings and serving rural revitalization.
In addition, other contestants also delivered brilliant speeches on themes such as precise student services, telling China’s stories well through lesser-taught languages, safeguarding the health of faculty and students with first-aid skills, and ideological and political education in mathematics teaching, showcasing the diverse educational approaches and solid professional competence of the University’s young faculty.
After intense competition, Sun Peng from the School of Music and Dance, Mei Peng from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, and Yuan Ya’nan from the School of Ethnology and Sociology won the first prize. Four teachers — Wang Danli from the College of Life Sciences, Xu Yuhao from the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Yang Fanglin from the School of Fine Arts, and Yang Bing from the University Hospital — won the second prize. Five teachers — Lyu Juntao from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, Liu Haoran from the School of Computer Science (School of Artificial Intelligence), Han Ting from the School of Literature, Journalism & Communication, Xin Zhiqiang from the School of Electronic Information Engineering (School of Robotics), and Tao Heng from the Law School — won the third prize. Seven teachers — Li Enpu from the School of Economics, Wang Haitao from the Party Committee, Guo Xiao from the School of Biomedical Engineering, Chen Lishan from the School of Foreign Languages, He Gang from the School of Management, Xue Guangyang from the School of Pharmaceutical Science, and Huang Qingsong from the School of Electronic Information Engineering (School of Robotics) — received honorable mentions.
More than two hundred students from various colleges watched the competition. The participating teachers all stated that they would take this event as a new starting point to continue deeply studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20thParty Central Committee and the requirements of the 15thFive-Year Plan, integrate the education of consolidating a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation into all aspects and the entire process of teaching and nurturing students, fulfill the mission of education through solid action and responsibility, and write a new chapter in the cause of ethnic unity and progress as they forge ahead on a new journey.
