On 14 June, the election meeting for the new board of directors of the Henan Alumni Association of North China University of Water Resources and Hydropower was successfully held at the university’s Longzi Lake Campus. As a key event in the series of activities marking the university’s 75th anniversary, the meeting successfully concluded the election for the new board of directors. Chen Jiazhong, Chairman of Guangjin International Group and a graduate of the Class of 2000 at North China University of Water Resources and Hydropower, was unanimously elected, with a unanimous vote from all attending delegates, as the Second Executive Vice-President of the Henan Alumni Association of North China University of Water Resources and Hydropower.
University leaders, including the Vice-Chancellor Liu Junguo, Deputy Party Secretary Jiao Aiping and Vice-Vice-Chancellor Song Gangfu, attended the conference and presented letters of appointment to the new members of the Council, formally appointing Mr Chen Jiazhong as Executive Vice-President of the Henan Alumni Association. In their addresses, the university leaders spoke highly of the remarkable achievements of Mr Chen Jiazhong and Guangjin International Group in the fields of overseas infrastructure and cross-border industries, acknowledging their role as industry leaders. They also urged all alumni to emulate his valuable spirit of daring to pioneer and strive, being pragmatic and steadfast, and remaining true to his original aspirations.
At the meeting, Principal Liu Junguo expressed his hope that alumni-run enterprises would capitalise on their respective industry strengths, focus on their core businesses and fulfil their social responsibilities, whilst actively integrating their personal growth and corporate development into the broader context of the nation’s development, thereby giving back to society and supporting their alma mater through practical action.
To support alumni development and carry forward the spirit of the university, the university organised two special alumni-themed sharing sessions on the afternoon of 13 June, in the run-up to the leadership transition conference. The sessions, entitled ‘Passing on the Torch: Career Guidance for the Future’ and ‘Looking to the World: Building Global Dreams’, were held simultaneously at the Garden Campus and Longzihu Campus. Focusing on the two key topics of career development and overseas entrepreneurship, they attracted nearly 200 current students, recent graduates and young alumni to attend and engage in discussions and learning.
As a member of the national ‘Belt and Road’ research project and President of the Henan Chamber of Commerce in Angola, Mr Chen Jiazhong has, over the course of several decades, led his team in expanding into overseas markets, implementing a number of key overseas public welfare projects, and promoting China’s infrastructure standards and management models abroad, thereby showcasing the pragmatic spirit of Huashui alumni. Alongside his professional endeavours, he has long given back to his alma mater. In 2011, he established the ‘Chen Jiazhong Fund for Rewarding Excellence and Supporting Students in Need’, which continues to reward outstanding students and provide financial support to those facing financial hardship.
Speaking about his new role within the alumni association, Mr Chen Jiazhong set out a clear and pragmatic action plan. He stated that he would draw upon Guangjin International’s overseas industrial and chamber of commerce resources to build bridges of communication between his alma mater, alumni and industry stakeholders both at home and abroad. He is committed to establishing a platform for resources, employment and career development centred on youth development, industry-academia collaboration and educational philanthropy, whilst deepening university-enterprise partnerships. By leveraging the strengths of overseas industrial operations, he plans to align the university’s research and talent development with industry needs, thereby promoting the commercialisation of research outcomes, the supply of talent and international project collaboration, to achieve mutual benefit for both parties. On the occasion of his alma mater’s 75th anniversary, Mr Chen Jiazhong and Guangjin International will uphold the university’s motto – ‘Dedication to Water Resources, Unceasing Self-Improvement’ – by remaining firmly rooted in the real economy, shouldering their responsibilities, and sparing no effort to promote the high-quality development of their alma mater as well as the growth and success of its alumni, thereby writing a new and glorious chapter in the journey of Hua Shui alumni in the new era.
Group photograph of the Association and the Council