2021 MBA, Welcome to Cheng Ze Garden!
Sep 07-2021
BiMBA, China's leading business school, continues its upward trajectory with the opening of a new campus and the initiation of the 2021 MBA students.
An opening ceremony and orientation for the new MBA cohort was held on September 3rd on its newly unveiled campus – Cheng Ze Garden. The students, totaling 200 or so, belong to the joint programs between Peking University and two top European business schools: Vlerick Business School and UCL School of Management School. Dr. Cathy Du, Assistant Dean of BiMBA, hosted the ceremony.
Prof. Yao Yang, Dean of NSD, warmly welcomed the new students and congratulated them on being the first cohort to study at Cheng Ze Garden, a former royal complex that had undergone years of renovation to become a campus with state-of-the-art facilities while retaining its distinctive design. “We are writing history,” he repeated the proud statement of Prof. Justin Lin Yifu on the role of NSD for China. And he assured the students of both the academic rigor and the leading position of NSD. For example, NSD professors have published some of the most cited papers and NSD has constantly been ranked one of the top think-tanks in China.
As the pandemic continues to limit international travels, representatives of partner schools expressed their warm welcome to the students through videos. Prof. Marion Debruyne, Dean of Vlerick Business School, used the Vlerick motto to encourage the students to “live, learn, and leap”. Prof. Alan Parkinson, Deputy Director (Educational) of UCL School of Management, urged them to “xiang shou” (enjoy) the two-year journey. Their speeches were followed by those of student representatives, who passionately shared their stories and expectations about the studies ahead.
The event culminated with the conferring of Peking University badges on each and every student as their formal initiation into China’s most respected institution of higher learning. As the student representatives said, much of the attraction of the MBA programs was that the NSD pulsated with the spirit and mission of the PKU: to contribute to the development of the nation.
In the ensuing orientation, Fan Baoqun, Assistant Dean of NSD and Executive Assistant Dean of BiMBA, introduced the students to the positioning, milestones and influences of NSD. Dr. Cathy Du presented the academic setup of NSD and called on the students to strive for the best. “Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well,” she said. Mr. Kelvin Yu, Director of the Career Development Department of NSD, wrapped up the orientation with an in-depth look into the comprehensive and professional guidance and services that feature mock interviews, one-on-one evaluation and counselling, and career mentorship.
