Dear Esteemed Faculty, Students, Alumni, and Friends,
As the years unfold their timeless grace, the bells of 2025 are poised to chime, heralding the 20th anniversary of our beloved UIC. In this exquisite moment of bidding adieu to the past and welcoming the new, I, on behalf of UIC, extend to each of you my heartfelt greetings. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year! May this holiday season bring joy, peace, and renewed hope for all.
The past year has been marked by hard work and significant achievements at UIC. We welcomed over 2,200 new undergraduate students and nearly 1,500 graduate students, recruited 138 full-time colleagues to join UIC, and celebrated 11 faculty members recognised in national and provincial talent programmes.
In our pursuit of innovation, we launched the Institute for Advanced Studies, fostering groundbreaking research collaborations and cross-disciplinary approaches. Our internationalisation efforts have also strengthened, expanding exchange programmes and partnerships worldwide, enriching our students' experiences and equipping them for a global workforce. Furthermore, our collaborations with our parent universities—Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and Beijing Normal University (BNU)—have flourished, creating new opportunities for research and faculty exchanges.
Our educational achievements have been equally impressive, with students excelling in various international and national competitions across the sciences, economics, the humanities, the arts, and in sports and culture. Over 80% of our graduates choose to continue their studies, with more than 80% enrolling in QS top 100 universities, and nearly 20% gaining admission to QS top 10 institutions.
Here, I express my profound gratitude to Professor Ng Ching-Fai, our founding president, and Professor Tang Tao, our second president. Under their visionary leadership, UIC has laid a solid foundation and achieved steady progress. In the coming year, we will expand our space both internally and externally. On the internal front, the teaching complex of the UIC Phase II campus will be completed, further optimising our teaching, research, and administrative spaces. Externally, we will inaugurate the UIC Boston Center, which will serve as a key hub for academic collaboration and research. This centre will include the Research Institute for Life and Arts, exploring connections between excavated medical texts and digital humanities, the Center for Whitehead Studies, and UIC Alumni Center of America, dedicated to fostering academic exchange and substantial collaboration with institutions in the Boston region. We also plan to establish additional centres in Hong Kong, London, Sydney, and other major global hubs, each uniting the strength of our UIC community and enhancing our global presence. Furthermore, in alignment with our evolving status as a research-led liberal arts university both in China and beyond, we will initiate the UIC Global Talent 100 Scheme. This initiative aims to attract and onboard 100 distinguished professionals, thereby enriching our academic community and reinforcing our dedication to excellence.
With our 20th anniversary as a catalyst, we believe that through the combined efforts of our faculty, students, and community, UIC will continue to thrive. We will prioritise innovative teaching and learning methods while embracing the integration of technology into our curricula. Our focus will remain on enhancing the campus learning environment, building a high-calibre team of faculty and administrative staff, fostering comprehensive student development, and deepening collaborations with domestic and international institutions to cultivate talent with a global perspective.
As we honour our past, let us strive to create a brighter future. In 2025, the entire UIC community will join together in celebration of our 20th anniversary, united by spirit and determination, to pen a new, more vibrant chapter in our ongoing journey.
May the year 2025 bring you all serenity, delight, and abundant prosperity!
CHEN Zhi
President
