On 10th November, 2024, the 20th Anniversary Development Conference of MBA Education of Soochow University was grandly held in Cunju Hall of Tianzhizhuang Campus. With the theme of ‘Twenty Beginnings, Towards the Future’, the conference carried out Xi Jinping's Thought of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era in-depth, and comprehensively implemented the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Leaders from all walks of life, educational elites, alumni and representatives of teachers and students gathered together to review the struggle and development achievements of MBA in the past 20 years and plan the blueprint for future development.

Deng Min, Deputy Secretary of Party Committee of Soochow University, Yang Shubing, Deputy Director of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, Wang Baojia, Second Grade Inspector of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Finance, Wang Ping, Director of the Office of the Secretariat of the National Steering Committee for MBA Education, Secretary General of the Working Committee on Business Administration Education of China Society for Degree and Postgraduate Education, and Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat of the High Quality Accreditation of the Degree Centre of the Ministry of Education, and members of the National MBA Education Steering Committee, Jiang Chuanhai, Secretary of the Party Committee of East China University of Science and Technology; Ye Qiang, Member of the National MBA Education Steering Committee and Executive Dean of the School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China; Liu Hong, Member of the National MBA Education Steering Committee and former Secretary of the Party Committee of Business School of Nanjing University; Li Haifeng, Director of the UNESCO Division of the Department of Finance of Jiangsu Province, and Dou Huahua, Deputy Director of the UNESCO Division of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Finance; Fan Li, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Soochow Securities Company Ltd. Zhang Jinping, Dean of the Graduate School of Soochow University, Lu Xiang, Director of the Department of Domestic Cooperation and Development of Soochow University, Liu Zhiming, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Business School of Soochow University, and Feng Bo, Dean of the Business School of Soochow University attended the conference. Leaders at all levels of Jiangsu Province and Suzhou City, representatives of partners and corporate mentors, representatives of alumni, as well as some old leaders and comrades of the university, members of the School's leadership team, and representatives of teachers and students also attended the conference. The development conference was hosted by Wang Youyu, vice dean of the Business School and director of MBA Centre.

At the opening ceremony, Deng Min, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Soochow University, emphasised in his speech that it is necessary to adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era as a guide, fully implement the Party's education policy, and carry out the fundamental task of establishing moral education. He pointed out that SU MBA should take the initiative to serve the national strategy, buttress the demand for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, deepen the integration of industry and education, promote the construction of curriculum ideology and politics, cultivate high-level management talents with both virtue and talent, and make new and greater contributions to the construction of Chinese-style modernisation.

Yang Shubing, deputy director of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, emphasised that education is a major plan of the country and the Party. He asked SU MBA to insist on educating people for the Party and the country, deepen the integration of industry and education, strengthen the mission, focus on the strategic needs of national and regional development, promote industrial upgrading and enterprise growth, and cultivate business leaders with strong national self-confidence and innovative spirit. We hope that the college will seize the development opportunity of ‘tripartite co-construction’ and contribute to the promotion of the new practice of Chinese-style modernisation in Jiangsu.

Wang Baojia, the second-level inspector of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Finance, pointed out that it is necessary to deeply implement the strategy of developing the country through science and education and the strategy of strengthening the country through talents, and to promote the deep integration of MBA education with the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing and other emerging industries, so as to realise the high level of scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance and to cultivate entrepreneurs of the new era. The Provincial Department of Finance will continue to provide support under the framework of ‘tripartite co-construction’ to help Soochow University develop business education and build a high-level business school with special characteristics.

Wang Ping, Director of the Secretariat Office of the National MBA Education Steering Committee, highly affirmed the remarkable results achieved by MBA of SUU in practicing the new development concept and serving high-quality development. She stressed that it is necessary to adhere to the overall leadership of the Party, grasp the new requirements of the new era, proactively embrace the changes of the times, innovate, strengthen international exchange and cooperation, and cultivate innovative management talents with a sense of nationalism and global vision.

Feng Bo, Dean of Soochow University Business School, made a report on the 20th anniversary development of MBA education in Soochow University, reporting the achievements and changes of MBA education. Dean Feng emphasised that in the past twenty years, MBA of Soochow University has adhered to the cultivation concepts of putting morality first, competence first and all-round development, strengthened the education of ideals and beliefs, and pushed forward the education of social responsibility in depth, and cultivated a large number of excellent managerial talents with a sense of nationalism and a global vision. In the future, the School will grasp the opportunity of double first-class construction, deepen the comprehensive reform of education, promote the construction of the new business discipline, accelerate the process of international accreditation, and contribute more power to serve the national strategy and help the regional economic high-quality development.

Professor Zhao Zengyao of Soochow University Business School, a teacher representative, reviewed the founding history of the MBA programme. Over the past 20 years, Soochow University MBA has continued to promote the comprehensive reform of ‘three-whole-parenting’, focusing on the combination of theory and practice, and promoting the in-depth integration of industry, academia and research. He said that it is necessary to cast the soul and educate people with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era, continue to optimise the curriculum system, strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship education, and cultivate newcomers with a strong sense of mission and responsibility.

Fan Li, Chairman of Soochow Securities, spoke as a representative of the business sector, recalling the origins of the cooperation between Soochow University Business School and Soochow Securities. He emphasised that university-enterprise collaborative education is an important way to promote the high-quality development of higher education. He pointed out that MBA of Soochow University has played an important role in serving the development of green finance, promoting the transformation of digital economy and helping rural revitalisation by actively connecting with the needs of national strategies. In the future, we will further deepen the university-enterprise cooperation, and jointly cultivate innovative management talents to meet the needs of the new development pattern.

Li Ke, president of MBA Alumni Association, recalled his learning experience in school and said that SU MBA not only teaches professional knowledge, but also pays more attention to cultivating students' national sentiment and sense of social responsibility. He called on the alumni to be mindful of the greatness of the country, actively participate in the greatness of the new era, and contribute wisdom and strength to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Qi Wenxi, representative of current students and president of MBA Federation of Soochow University, said that as young people in the new era, they should have the two big picture in mind, care about the country and shoulder the responsibility of the times, and endeavour to become new men of the times who are capable of taking up the heavy responsibility of national rejuvenation.

The conference honoured alumni and teachers who have made significant contributions to the development of the business school. Liu Zhiming, Secretary of the Party Committee of Soochow University Business School, announced the list of award winners and conducted the award ceremony.

In order to deepen the cooperation between famous universities and enterprises, MBA of SUU has built postgraduate workstations and practice bases with 14 benchmark enterprises, hired enterprise leaders as enterprise mentors, constructed a new pattern of government, industry, academia, research and application synergistic cultivation, and created a brand of MBA education with significant regional characteristics.

In the roundtable forum, all the guests discussed the development trend of MBA education in the context of technological empowerment and globalisation, and made suggestions for the future reform and development of MBA education.

The conference came to a successful end with the cheerful and exciting song ‘Towards the Future’.

Standing on a new historical starting point, MBA people of SOU will stride forward to a new era and start a new journey with a more vigorous attitude and a firmer conviction!