席酉民校长教师节致辞：以“归零的境界”再塑西浦 Teachers' Day Speech by Professor Xi

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以下为席酉民校长教师节致辞节选，全文欢迎点击文末“阅读原文”。

亲爱的老师和同事们：

在这酷暑依然未消的九月，又一个教师节蹁跹而至。首先，真诚祝愿大家教师节快乐！

今年的七月，西浦盛邀八方宾客，齐聚刚刚建成的南校区一期，隆重回顾与庆贺了西浦十年发展。十年时光，凭借着初生牛犊不怕虎的勇气，西浦从一个刚开始受到各方质疑与挑战、甚至不被有些人看好的“新生儿”逐渐发展成为如今：

• 拥有一万多名在校生、八千多名毕业生、近一千在职教师员工；

• 开设了涵盖科学、技术、工程、设计、管理、经济、文化、艺术等领域的七十多个本科与研究生专业和学位项目；

• 营建了蕴含东西文化精髓、风格独具、相互呼应的南北校园；

• 组建了10余个跨学科、促进工业界和国际合作的研究院以及国际技术转移中心和国际创新港，等等。

教职工的非凡成就、西浦校友的杰出表现、西浦的快速崛起、社会各界的高度认可，已使西浦在国内外享有一定声誉。走到今天，大家付出的所有努力与辛劳，个中酸甜苦辣，也只有我们经历其中的人才能深切体会。

每当回顾和反思，我感慨良多，内心会升起浓浓的敬意和特别的感激，是你们——西浦的教职工、西浦学生、校友以及我们的家长和社会各界支持西浦发展的朋友，在中国苏州这块土地上、在全世界反思教育、重塑教学、再定义大学的时代创造了这个奇迹！

此时此刻，我想到一个词：从零开始。在我看来，“从零开始”不仅是一种心态，更是一种境界、一种历练、一种高度、一套发展的思路和能力体系。清零、归零，不是回到原来的起点，而是站在一个新的高度，在已有条件和经验的基础上，构建和选择新的参考体系，设立更高更远的发展目标。

此时的清零或归零，不仅会帮我们抛弃惰性、挣脱已有体系形成的思想桎梏、防止停一停歇一歇的延迟，而且会使我们以开拓者或领导者的姿态屹立于这个日新月异、一系列结构性变革或范式革命不断涌现的世界里，因为只要我们稍有懈怠，跑得比变化慢，我们就有可能被淘汰！

十年一瞬，我们虽然取得了令人瞩目的发展成就，然而展望未来，距我们的愿景、社会的期待还有很大距离，西浦持续健康发展依然面对种种体制和制度约束、社会习惯和文化的壁垒、多元文化冲突以及短时期营造一个教育的国际品牌的挑战，等等。所以，在这个关键时刻，我们特别需要有归零的境界，保持初心，充满再出发的激情和持续创新的动力。

我们只有头脑清醒，反思十年经验和教训，以当下的西浦高度为起点，用变化的眼光来看待未来的问题，在“不变”的基础上，结合当下的具体情况，顺应时代的发展趋势，思考符合这个新时期的新的标准体系、酝酿和构建西浦发展的新宏图、重新起跑，综合全面地应对“万变”的世界，以全力冲向新的高度。

各位老师、同事、同学，西浦理想的实现，离不开所有西浦人的智慧和努力，我真诚邀请大家一起携手奋斗，从零开始，使西浦的明天更加灿烂！

Reshaping XJTLU: "Starting from zero"

Dear teachers and colleagues,

It's September: the heat of summer has yet to fade and another Teachers’ Day will soon be upon us. First, I sincerely wish you all a happy Teachers’ Day!

In September this year, XJTLU invited a wide array of guests to gather at the newly-constructed South Campus phase one and to look back on and celebrate a decade of growth at XJTLU. In the space of 10 years, and using the courage of a newborn bull that has no fear of the tiger, XJTLU has gradually grown from an infant who at the very start was doubted and challenged by all quarters, and whom some believed had no prospects, into its state today.

The University boasts over 10,000 students, more than 8,000 graduates, and close to 1,000 serving teachers and staff. It has developed over 70 undergraduate courses and graduate specialist and degree programmes covering science, technology, engineering, design, management, economics, culture, and art.

It has built northern and southern campuses that are both independent and interrelated, and which incorporate the essence and styles of both Eastern and Western culture, and it has set up more than 10 research institutes, an international technology transfer centre and an innovation hub that cross disciplines and promote industrial and international collaboration.

The extraordinary achievements of our staff, the outstanding performance of XJTLU alumni, the rapid growth of XJTLU, and the high praise from all levels of society have established XJTLU's reputation both at home and abroad. Only those of us who have gone through it can fully appreciate all the effort, hard work, and ups and downs that have brought us to today.

Today, standing at the milestone of the 10th anniversary, the myriad accomplishments and achievements of the past are undoubtedly worthy of our pride and satisfaction - but what we should focus on and think about most is how to face the future, how to complete the next 10 years, and the 10 years after that.

In 10 years, XJTLU has taken shape and been hailed as a "benchmark of Sino-foreign collaboration in education" and a “pioneer in the reform of higher education" but our ambitions don't stop there.

Dear teachers, colleagues, and students: The wisdom and hard work of XJTLU people are indispensable to achieving the ideals of the University. I invite all of you to join hands and enter the struggle, beginning from zero and making XJTLU's tomorrow even more magnificent!

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