Steadfastly towards the light: The pioneering joys of breakthroughs

Steadfastly towards the light: The pioneering joys of breakthroughs
Teachers¡¯ Day message from Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU

Dear Colleagues,
Happy Teachers¡¯ Day!

At times of celebration, we often exchange ¡°happy¡± greetings. Some may quietly wonder: in the rush of a new semester, where is the time for happiness? Others may feel that, in a world of uncertainty and complexity, happiness has become a rare luxury, too easily replaced by worry. Precisely for this reason, it is worth pausing to reflect on how we shape our mindset in today¡¯s world. Happiness is not just a fleeting sense of relief, but a deeper assurance ¨C anchored in conviction, guided by purpose, grounded in competence, enriched by meaningful effort, and lifted by the joy of achievement.

We are living through a time of paradigm shifts and profound social transformation. The future, uncertain as it is, both excites and unsettles us. Looked at negatively, uncertainty feeds anxiety; seen positively, it opens new opportunities. At XJTLU, we remain committed to our philosophy of ¡°happy life and successful career¡±. We strive to build platforms, nurture ecosystems, and explore the future of education, so that every student and colleague can find their orientation in a complex world, set a clear direction, create unique value, and experience the joy of growth and fulfilment. As our motto reminds us, those who can be ¡°guided by vision, committed in action¡± will always carry happiness and joy with them along life¡¯s journey.

At the opening ceremony a few days ago, I shared XJTLU¡¯s vision of the future university: a transformation from the transmission of knowledge to the cultivation of the whole person; an emphasis on personalisation, passion-driven learning, lifelong growth, and human-AI collaboration. Supported by digital-intelligence platforms and global networks, this vision seeks to build distributed centres for learning, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. In such an open and collaborative educational ecosystem ¨C where industry, academia, research, government, and society are interconnected ¨C learning will no longer be passive reception but active co-creation around real-world challenges; courses will no longer be mere delivery of content but human-AI journeys of research; work will no longer be repetitive and tedious, but a vivid dance alongside intelligent agents; and life, rather than being overwhelmed by complexity and uncertainty, will be enriched by syntegrative wisdom, enabling us to navigate challenge after challenge with confidence and vitality.

The meaning of the future university lies in enabling each individual to discover themselves and nurture their dreams within an innovative ecosystem. Driven by interest and guided by values, they will explore and create with wisdom ¨C serving human civilisation, advancing social progress, and at the same time, shaping their own happy lives and successful careers.

XJTLU is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary, stepping into the most vibrant and creative years of its journey. Looking back, we have explored, innovated, and broken new ground, always advancing on the path of ¡°from better to better¡±. Today, though still young, XJTLU has developed the strong shoulders to carry greater responsibilities.

As we enter the next decade, it is time to reflect and consolidate, while further optimising our organisational structure, upgrading our operating systems, and envisioning a broader blueprint for the future. This will allow us to embark on a new phase of growth, offering the ¡°XJTLU Solution¡± for the future of education and providing a model of reference for universities in the age of digital intelligence.

I would like to thank all members of the XJTLU community for their wisdom, exploration, and innovative practices, which have accompanied the University from youth to maturity. As we embark on this new journey, let us continue to reflect, iterate, and upgrade ¨C remaining companions of XJTLU, fulfilling our mission as pioneers and leaders in education, resonating with the pulse of a changing world, and advancing to the rhythm of XJTLU¡¯s progress as we pursue our shared, ambitious mission.

Upgrading ourselves is not simply about learning, mastering, or applying new technologies. It is about transforming from the role of a teacher to that of an educator ¨C a reconstruction of mindset that enables us to embrace uncertainty, to cross boundaries proactively, and to become lifelong learners, pathfinders, and creators in human-AI collaboration.

In the face of rapidly advancing, often disruptive technologies, we must first move beyond passive adoption. On the basis of active learning and practical application, we need to probe deeply into their underlying logic and mechanisms of impact, so that we may understand and harness the patterns hidden behind uncertainty and volatility, and embrace their transformative power for education and human society.

Second, we must seize the opportunity offered by a digital-intelligent world where organisational boundaries are increasingly blurred. By proactively crossing boundaries and integrating resources, we can build an ecosystem of educational innovation. Cross-boundary practice provides us with rare opportunities to break limitations and achieve genuine synergy. It is not only the intersection of disciplines or collaboration across departments; it is also the fusion of models of operation and systems of practice: education extending from campus to society, research outcomes translating into industrial innovation, policy becoming fertile ground for new ideas, and the integration of industry, academia, research, and government driving social development ¨C so that society¡¯s diverse needs, in turn, renew and enrich education.

Third, we must immerse ourselves in this innovation ecosystem by practising lifelong learning, sustained exploration, and the pursuit of syntegrative wisdom ¨C emerging from the interaction of human and digital intelligence ¨C and by engaging in a creative dance with AI and robotics to generate new miracles and value. Only in this way can educators find their true coordinates in a complex and uncertain digital-intelligent world, gathering fragmented efforts into systemic forces for the future. To shoulder such a mission, educators of the new era must undergo a transformation of mindset, cultivating the courage to upgrade themselves, cross boundaries, and embrace integration. Only then can we lead our students, master ourselves, serve society, and step confidently into the future.

The transformation of educators will not only empower XJTLU¡¯s own growth, but also enable our students¡¯ flourishing. Today, as XJTLU enters the full implementation stage of its ¡°Education + AI¡± strategy, AI, AI tutors, AI agents, and AI scientist-robots are being woven into every dimension of our education and research ¨C from classrooms to laboratories, from pedagogical models to campus life. For educators, they provide intelligent assistants; for learners, they open multidimensional pathways for growth. In Year One, courses on AI literacy help all new students understand both the potential and the limitations of technology. In Year Two, advanced AI modules guide students to reflect on technology¡¯s functions and values through real-world applications, stimulating critical and creative thinking. Senior undergraduates and postgraduates either engage in AI-related research or apply AI to deepen their disciplinary expertise.

At the same time, the integration of innovation and entrepreneurship education goes far beyond a few theories of start-ups. Its purpose is to ignite students¡¯ entrepreneurial awareness, encouraging them to experiment with diverse pathways, gain industry perspectives, and ¨C through resource integration, cross-boundary collaboration, and even failure and renewal ¨C develop higher-order thinking oriented towards complex realities. In this process, students also cultivate the leadership and management skills required to turn ideas into reality.

In short, through this rich and multidimensional educational design, we aim to help our students acquire not only the ability to ¡°survive,¡± but also the capacity to nurture new possibilities in an uncertain world, and to ignite the courage to create the future.

The upgrading of educators, students, and the University is not merely the evolution of a ¡°triple-helix¡± structure, but the continued elevation of an educational community of shared destiny. Every breakthrough an educator achieves reflects new possibilities in the hearts of students and opens broader horizons for the University¡¯s development. In turn, the growth and transformation of students illuminate the way forward for educators and inspire new directions for institutional improvement. Each new strategic move of the University, meanwhile, relies upon the support of its educators and the engagement of its students. This is a journey of learning and innovation ¨C built upon collaboration, co-creation, and mutual fulfilment ¨C towards a shared future.

The meaning of education, at the personal level, has never been limited to preparing students merely to adapt to reality. Its deeper purpose is to guide them to discover themselves, to become themselves: to find meaning through exploration, to experience value through growth, and to anchor conviction through acts of creation. This is the great calling of life touching life.

At the organisational level, if through our collective exploration, XJTLU can contribute future-oriented educational models, then we will not only advance the University itself, but also shape the transformation of Chinese education and influence the development of education worldwide. What an inspiring mission this is!

At the societal level, in an era of paradigm shifts and global reordering, if we as educators can illuminate the way forward through our research, tackle humanity¡¯s pressing challenges, and advance social civilisation, then what a sacred responsibility that would be!

In all of this lies the greatest joy of being an educator.

Dear colleagues, Teachers¡¯ Day is not only a time to express gratitude for your dedication and perseverance, but also a moment to reflect on the original mission of education and to envision the future ahead. Let us continue to strive together, exploring the boundless possibilities that lie before us.

The sacred calling of education, together with the rapid growth of XJTLU, has given us a stage upon which to find meaning and happiness. At the same time, it has allowed us to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity amid society¡¯s transformation ¨C an opportunity to make XJTLU greater and education more inspiring through our passion for innovation and the wisdom of our actions.

Once again, I wish all our educators and friends a very Happy Teachers¡¯ Day!

Executive President of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool
Professor Youmin Xi