On the morning of July 26, the 2nd CPC HUTB Congress opened at the Fenghua Lecture Hall on the South Campus.

This congress is convened at a critical juncture when China is advancing the building of a strong nation and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. It takes place at an important stage when Hunan Province is accelerating its development into a leading education province and realizing the beautiful blueprint of the "Three Highlands, Four New Missions" strategy. And it comes at a pivotal moment for the university—as it consolidates the foundations of a university, drives its transformation and upgrading, and goes all out to promote high-quality development. It is a congress that unites hearts and minds and plans for the future.

The theme of the congress is: to hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, to fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important statements on education, science and technology, and talent, as well as his important speeches delivered during inspections of Hunan; to comprehensively carry out the Party's education policy; to stay firmly anchored to the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education; to pursue business and engineering in tandem, supported by liberal arts and sciences, with multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary integration; to advance educational development, technological innovation, and talent cultivation as one integrated effort; to enhance the capacity to serve major national strategies and regional economic and social development; and to strive for the accelerated building of a high-quality, distinctive, and high-level application-oriented university of business and commerce.

Comrades responsible for the Fourth Steering Group for the Learning Campaign on Fostering and Practicing a Correct View of Governance Performance, dispatched by the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, together with comrades from the Organization Department of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and the Education Work Commission of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, attended the congress. Comrade Liao Zhikun delivered a report on behalf of the First CPC HUTB Committee to the congress, under the title Deepening Reform, Expanding Opening-Up, Strengthening Governance, and Accelerating the Building of a High-Quality, Distinctive, and High-Level University of Business and Commerce. Comrade Hou Junjun delivered the opening address. The CPC HUTB Committee and Chief Leaders, along with all Party congress delegates, attended the congress. Former university leaders, principal heads of the university's democratic parties, representatives of non-partisans, and representatives of high-level talents, as well as all non-delegate officials at the division-director level and above, attended as non-voting participants. The congress was presided over by Comrade Peng Xiaohui.

Comrade Liao Zhikun delivers a report on behalf of the First CPC HUTB Committee to the congress

Comrade Hou Junjun delivers the opening address at the congress

Comrade Peng Xiaohui presided over the opening session.

The atmosphere at the Fenghua Lecture Hall was solemn and rousing. At the center of the rostrum shone the golden emblem of the CPC, radiant with glory, flanked by ten bright red flags in neat formation. At 8:30 a.m., the congress officially opened to the solemn strains of the national anthem.

Relevant officials from the Education Work Commission of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and the Department of Education of Hunan Province attended the congress to provide guidance and deliver speeches.

All attendees stand at attention and sing the national anthem

In his report, Comrade Liao pointed out that since May 2021, under the correct leadership of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, the CPC HUTB Committee has united and led all Party members, faculty, and students in earnestly implementing the development goals and tasks set forth at the first congress. The university's overall strength has reached a new level, opening up a new horizon for its undertaking.

The report provided a comprehensive review of the educational achievements attained since the first congress, covering eight areas: strengthened Party building; new progress in discipline and program development; steady improvement in talent cultivation quality; notable results in faculty team building; significantly enhanced research capability; new outcomes in social service; continuously improved educational conditions; and a substantial rise in overall strength and social influence. The report also summarized a series of new advances and results achieved through the university's solid efforts in inspection rectification and in-depth learning campaign on fostering and practicing a correct view of governance performance. These include: improving the governance mechanism and optimizing the political ecosystem; coordinating planning and layout to clarify the development direction; deepening comprehensive reform and refining the institutional system; focusing on connotative development to advance discipline and program optimization; fulfilling the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education to elevate the quality of education and teaching; and strengthening employment-oriented education to propel innovation and entrepreneurship.

Scene at the congress

While fully acknowledging the achievements, the report also conducted an in-depth analysis of the shortcomings in the university's development, proposed the fundamental experience that must be upheld in running a high-quality university, and accurately grasped the historical position of the university's development. For the next five years, the university must adapt to the "three trends," strengthen the "three types of awareness," follow the "three laws," and realize the "three-dimensional" educational goals.

——It must deeply understand the "three trends" in the development of China's higher education: the changing mission and status of higher education, the changing ecology of higher education and its modes of nurturing talent, and the increasingly fierce competition in higher education;

——It must vigorously strengthen the "three types of awareness" in the university's development: a strong sense of being a university, a strong sense of business and commerce, and a strong sense of belonging to Hunan;

——It must always follow the "three laws" of running and governing the university: the laws governing the development of higher education, the laws of university governance, and the laws of talent growth;

——It must strive to realize the "three-dimensional" educational goals: to build a university that the Party can trust, a university that the people are satisfied with, and a university where faculty and staff feel dignity and happiness.

The report emphasized that for the next five years, the university will focus on promoting connotative, high-quality development, improving quality and strengthening its distinctive features, and strive to achieve the goals of "excellent educational capacity, premium talent cultivation, and outstanding service to regional development," aiming to be among the first batch of high-level application-oriented universities included in the national "Double Excellence” construction program.

——It must grasp the "four keys" to the university's development: deepening reform, expanding opening-up, strengthening governance, and highlighting distinctive features;

——It must seize the "six priorities" in the university's development: significantly improving the quality of talent cultivation; solidly consolidating the talent foundation of the university's development; devoting effort to enhancing disciplinary strength; going all out to increase research efficiency; concentrating resources to build a highland for serving economic and social development; and continuously deepening international exchange and cooperation;

——It must strengthen the "four safeguards" supporting the university's development: continuously improving educational conditions; comprehensively accelerating the building of a smart university; persistently building a safe, beautiful, and happy campus; and enhancing campus culture building in an all-round way.

The report pointed out that around fulfilling the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education, the university must comprehensively strengthen Party building, and effectively translate the Party's political, intellectual, and organizational strengths into educational efficacy.

——Uphold and improve the Party's overall leadership over the university's work;

——Uphold incessant theoretical arming with the Party's innovative theories in the new era to achieve unity in thinking and soul;

——Establish and improve an organizational system that ensures seamless connectivity from top to bottom and effective implementation;

——Build a contingent of officials who are loyal to the Party, have moral integrity, and demonstrate a keen sense of responsibility;

——Guide the improvement of the university's ethos through a strong Party character;

——Pool strengths from all quarters to form synergy in the work of the United Front, trade unions, and youth leagues;

——Conscientiously implement political responsibilities for exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party.

The congress called on all faculty, students, and staff to, looking ahead, hold high the great banner of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. With an indefatigable spirit and an undaunted, forward-charging posture of struggle, the HUTB community shall embrace the new era and embark on a new journey, striving for the university's high-quality development, for the realization of Hunan's beautiful blueprint of the "Three Highlands, Four New Missions," and for the comprehensive advancement of the building of a strong nation and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The First CPC HUTB Discipline Inspection Commission submitted its report, entitled Fulfilling Duties with Loyalty and Acting with Pragmatic Responsibility to Safeguard the Building of a High-Quality, Distinctive, and High-Level University of Business and Commerce, to the congress for deliberation in written form.

After hearing the reports, the Party delegates, in accordance with the congress arrangements, divided into 11 delegations to discuss and deliberate on the reports of the CPC HUTB Committee and the CPC HUTB Discipline Inspection Commission, and to consider candidates for the new committee members of the CPC HUTB Committee and the CPC HUTB Discipline Inspection Commission.

The delegates unanimously agreed that the report of the First CPC HUTB Committee provides a comprehensive summary of the university's achievements since the first congress, conducts a profound analysis of the current development landscape, and scientifically charts the blueprint for the university's future. The report explicitly sets forth the educational goals for the next five years—to adapt to the "Three Trends," strengthen the "Three Types of Awareness," follow the "Three Laws," and realize the "Three-Dimensional" objectives—and identifies the "Four Keys," "Six Priorities," and "Four Safeguards" for the university's development. It points the way forward for the university to accelerate its building into a high-quality, distinctive, and high-level application-oriented university of business and commerce, inspiring hearts and spurring all to strive ahead. The report of the First CPC HUTB Discipline Inspection Commission summarized the work achievements and fundamental experience of the past five years, and clarified the direction and path for achieving the high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work in the next five years, providing a strong disciplinary guarantee for building the university into a high-quality, distinctive, and high-level university of business and commerce.

The delegates unanimously endorsed and fully approved the reports of the CPC HUTB Committee and the CPC HUTB Discipline Inspection Commission. Grounded in the university's development realities and their respective job responsibilities, they conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as the university's undertakings and public-wellbeing concerns. Focusing on the new ideas, new strategies, and new measures proposed in the reports, they shared their views freely and, with a high degree of ownership, put forward a series of targeted and constructive opinions and suggestions.

(Written by Zhang Gaoyang and photo by the Publicity Department)