The Opening Ceremony of Dual-Degree Program of 2023 Cohort in Environmental Science

　　 　　

Setting Sail in the Golden Autumn. On September 17th, the Opening Ceremony of Dual-Degree Program of 2023 Cohort in Environmental Science jointly conducted by Northwest A&F University and University of Arizona was held at our university. Vice President Professor Luo Jun from our university, Vice President Professor Wang Yonggang from the University of Arizona, and the program director Professor Charles Kenneth Smith attended the ceremony. Leaders from relevant departments and colleges, teaching staff from the University of Arizona, 83 freshmen majoring in Environmental Science, their class advisors, and parents of the freshmen who watched the live broadcast online all participated in the ceremony. The ceremony was presided over by Associate Party Secretary Tian Changhe of the college.

Professor Luo Jun, on behalf of our university, extended a warm welcome to the representatives from the University of Arizona and the 83 freshmen. He introduced the background and basic situation of the Environmental Science “4+0” undergraduate cooperative education program between our university and the University of Arizona. He pointed out that to build a world-class agricultural university, it is essential to align with international education standards, introduce high-quality overseas educational resources, and pursue an open approach to education. Professor Luo Jun noted that the cooperative education program has already achieved preliminary results, and the cooperation and exchange between the two universities have entered a new stage, chapter, and level. He hoped that the students would promote the national spirit, actively respond to the call of the times, cherish the good learning conditions, enhance their own quality and abilities, promote the spirit of Northwest A&F University, and be practitioners of ecological civilization.

Professor Wang Yonggang highlighted the importance of the Environmental Science major in the current era and stated that over the next few years, the United States and China will continue to deepen academic cooperation and exchange. He hoped that the students would seize the opportunity, make good use of the valuable learning and exchange platform, effectively balance academics, personal life, and cultural experiences, and continuously grow into well-rounded outstanding talents.

Professor Li Zhi, Vice Dean of the College of Resources and Environment, gave a detailed introduction to the basic situation of the college, covering its historical development, organizational structure, disciplines and majors, faculty, research and social services, and cooperative education programs. Professor Joan Curry, Head of the Environmental Science Department at the University of Arizona, introduced the university through a recorded video, showcasing its charm and providing an overview of the Environmental Science major and the AMP master's program. Associate Professor Ji Puhui, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at the College of Resources and Environment, and Professor Charles Kenneth Smith, the director of the Sino-foreign cooperative education program at the University of Arizona, respectively introduced the relevant situations of the Environmental Science majors at the two universities.

Wang Jiayi, representing the freshmen, expressed her commitment to remembering the school motto of “Integrity, Simplicity, Courage, and Perseverance,” enhancing her professional abilities, strengthening her sense of social responsibility, establishing an international perspective, and fostering an innovative mindset. She pledged to follow in the footsteps of generations of Northwest A&F University students, strive for strength, not waste her youth, integrate her personal goals with those of the motherland and the people, and continue to write the era's answers belonging to the young people of Northwest A&F University.

The meeting also addressed questions of concern to the students.