CFLC Dean Prof. Zhang Longhai addressed the inauguration ceremony for new students on September 24. He extended a warm welcome to the new students and congratulated them on earning the opportunity to study at CFLC, which ranks 10^th in foreign languages and literatures among Chinese institutions of higher learning.

In his speech, Prof. Zhang noted that CFLC was founded 93 years ago, two years after the establishment of XMU and currently comprises five departments: English Language and Literature, Foreign Language Education, Japanese Language and Literature, European Languages and Literatures, French Language and Literature. CFLC has also added a bachelor’s program in Spanish Language and Literature, with an initial intake of 18 students.

Prof. Zhang shared with the students a series of statistics on the academic performance of CFLC students. From 2012 to 2015, approximately 95% and 92% of the English majors at CFLC passed the Test for English Majors Level 4 (TEM4) and the Test for English Majors (TEM8), compared with a national average of 51% and 40%, respectively. Graduates from CFLC are highly sought-after in the job market, and nearly 100% of graduates find employment within the first year after graduation.

Prof. Zhang predicted that China’s “One Road, One Belt” initiative and “Chinese Culture Going Global” program will open up vast opportunities for professionals with foreign language expertise.

Prof. Zhang commented that entering university is a very significant milestone, the next stage of a journey that will become the story of the new students’ life, one full of opportunities, freedoms and also responsibilities. Students will need to make decisions about their studies, their extracurricular activities, their social lives and their personal lives. Learning to weigh up the pros and cons of any given situation, deciding what they want to do, understanding and accepting the consequences of those decisions are very important life skills which will develop their character, integrity and values by which they wish to live their lives. CFLC is dedicated to helping them to succeed.

Moreover, Prof. Zhang reaffirmed CFLC’s commitment to providing students with the environment to unleash and maximize their potential: teaching and learning that is responsive to their needs and wishes, research to push back the frontiers of knowledge, extracurricular activities that allow them to pursue their ideals and develop their skills.

To the new students, Prof. Zhang proclaimed: “Your life is your own story, your own personal history. You have the power to decide how that story is told. We will provide you with mentorship, advice and guidance but ultimately our goal is to allow you to mature into a responsible citizen who can play a major role in society wherever in the world you live your life.”

He added: “Over the next few years, you can use your university education to advance yourselves and you can help me to advance Xiamen University on the global stage. Xiamen University is a fine university, highly regarded all over the country and with a long and distinguished history.”

In closing, Prof. Zhang wished all new students the very best as they were charting a new and novel journey at CFLC.