Published by: Converged Media Center       Edited by: Chen Zichuan

Xu Yanbing, Secretary of the WUST Party Committee;

Ni Hongwei, President of WUST

Dear faculty, students, alumni, and friends,

As the year turns, a new chapter unfolds. On behalf of the Party Committee and the administration of WUST, we would like to extend our heartfelt greetings and best wishes to all teachers, students, staff, retired comrades, alumni at home and abroad, and friends from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported the construction and development of the WUST.

Time flows like a river, and the seasons change with gentle grace. Looking back to 2024, a year that marks the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was also a crucial year for our university to advance the construction of first-class disciplines and prepare for the accreditation of undergraduate education. In the past year, we have focused on high-quality development, set the goal to "breakthrough first and lead the way," shouldered the great responsibilities of serving national and societal priorities, and puesued for excellence in education. Through hard work, we presented a remarkable and challenging achievement that reflects our efforts to build a stronger education system and contribute to national rejuvenation.

Over the past year, we have adhered to the leadership of Party Building, forged our souls, kept integrity and innovated, and created a new engine for development with our original aspirations. Guided by President Xi Jinping's thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, we have steadily advanced party discipline education, carried out internal inspections, and further promoted comprehensive and strict party governance. We have promoted the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20^th CPC Central Committee, continued building the "One Integration, Two Highs" initiative, and made breakthroughs with national model branches and counselors, including one national May Day Labor Medal and one National Model Teacher Award. Through our commitment to fostering a shared spiritual home for all WUST people, we've built a "Red Steel Furnace" program and continued to promote the "Qinhu Culture" brand, holding the 10^th "Qinhu Fish Feast" as part of a broader, elevated framework for party building, ideological education, and united front work. The high-quality Party Building led to high-quality development.

Last year, we stayed true to the mission of nurturing people, cultivating talent, and pioneering new pathways for our students' development. WUST has kept the mission of educating for the party and the country at its heart, implemented the new development philosophy, adhered to the "four orientations," highlighted its advantages and characteristics, and deeply engaged in talent supply-side reform to foster top-notch talent. We have added five urgently needed disciplines, approved two dual-bachelor's degree compound talent training projects, promoted the physical construction of the Academy of Outstanding Engineers, and successively won the highest awards in the China International College Students' Innovation Competition and the "Challenge Cup" Chinese College Students' Entrepreneurship Plan Competition. WUST has consistently ranked first among provincial universities in undergraduate admissions, and the quality of its students has steadily improved. Our contribution to national and provincial initiatives has continued to grow, demonstrating the speed, warmth, and impact of our efforts.

We have also relentlessly pursued excellence on the international stage. We have focused on shaping new development advantages with an openness to strive for first-class. By embracing global trends, and integrating education, technology, and talent development, we have produced notable, original achievements in key national strategies and economic demands. Ten disciplines have been selected for the "ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects" and the number of disciplines on the list ranks first among Hubei provincial universities. A new Doctoral program in first-level discipline and a new professional doctoral degree program were added, making breakthroughs in both liberal arts and management and specialized doctoral programs. More than ten national-level talents of various kinds have been recruited and cultivated, and the national-level talents have doubled. A number of national-level key major projects have been approved in succession, and the number of national-level projects in the humanities and social sciences has reached a new high. We have also seen solid progress in industry-university-research cooperation, with research funding reaching new highs, and various scientific and technological rewards harvested. In addition, WUST's international presence continues to expand. Delegations from dozens of internationally renowned universities, including the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, have visited us in succession. WUST, as the only representative of local universities, went to Spain with a delegation from the Ministry of Education to attend the China-Europe University Presidents' Dialogue and delivered keynote speeches. Win-win cooperation has become a consensus for development. WUST has played a positive role in the international arena.

Furthermore, we have focused on strengthening reform, driving innovation, forging ahead, and boosting development momentum. Guided by the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20^th CPC Central Committee, we promoted reform by teachers and students, for teachers and students and of teachers and students . Five teaching and scientific research units including the School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation and the School of Electronic Information were established, five internal institutions including the Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Service Center were established, and a school affairs committee was established to improve the modern university governance system. The campus environment has also been significantly enhanced, with the renovation of student dormitories, the re-openness of the Chunhua dining room, the capping of new buildings for the Artificial Intelligence Practice and Innovation Center, the groundbreaking of new graduate apartment, and the acceleration of the full coverage of the digital campus. The campus has taken on a new look. The resource allocation method has been more refined, and the use efficiency of school funds has been significantly improved, significantly enhancing the ability to raise funds. The "roadmap" for the comprehensive reform of national education is gradually becoming the "construction map" and "progress map" for the reform and development of WUST.

The harvest is born of hard work, and every achievement is the result of relentless effort. All of these achievements are the result of the collective efforts of our students, faculty, and staff. These results demonstrate the courage, perseverance, and spirit of all who are part of our university. They have relentlessly tackled challenges, worked diligently towards our goals, and forged ahead with unwavering determination. We salute every member of WUST for their dedication and selfless contributions!

With steady resolve, we have embarked on our journey, harnessing the moment to create a new and exciting future. As we embark on 2025, we will fully and thoroughly implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20^th CPC Central Committee and the spirit of the important speeches made by President Xi Jinping during his inspection of Hubei, stay true to the mission, be grateful and proactive, work with practical determination, and seize the opportunity of the national "Double First-Class" initiative expansion, deepen the university's comprehensive reform, advance the integrated development of education, technology, and talent, lead the way in building first-class disciplines in provincial universities, and make new and greater contributions to the Chinese-style modernization of Hubei Province with practical actions and results of high-quality development.

With a new year and a new beginning, we sincerely wish our great motherland prosperity and flourishing! We also wish WUST continued growth and success! May all WUST faculty, students, alumni, and friends around the world enjoy success, progress, health, and happiness in the new year!