"Never forget the lofty aspirations of one’s youth; there is no better time to return to study." On September 14th, the 2025 MBA Freshmen Opening Ceremony & Orientation Session of BNUBS, was grandly held at the Yingdong Academic Hall. 241 freshmen, filled with the sincerity of "returning still as passionate as youth", gathered with school leaders, faculty members, alumni, and enterprise representatives to celebrate this grand occasion and embark on a new chapter of "returning to study".

Qi Yudong, Dean of BNUBS; Sun Zhijun, Secretary of the School’s Party Committee; Wang Jun, Associate Secretary of the School’s Party Committee; Zhou Jianghua, Assistant Dean and Director of the MBA Education Center; Li Jing and Wang Lulu, Deputy Directors of the MBA Education Center; faculty representatives Bai Ruixue and Cai Zijun; teachers from the MBA Education Center; freshmen class supervisors; as well as student representatives from the 2024 cohort and all 2025 MBA freshmen attended the ceremony. Yang Kun, Director of the SAP University Alliances Greater China Region at SAP China Co., Ltd., and Ma Hailiang, Technical Director of the University Competence Center at SAP China Co., Ltd., were invited to attend the ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Zhou Jianghua, Assistant Dean and Director of the MBA Education Center.

At 18:00 in the evening, accompanied by the solemn national anthem, the ceremony officially kicked off. Qi Yudong, Dean of the School, delivered a speech and extended a warm welcome to the 2025 MBA freshmen on behalf of the School. Centering on the theme of "Entrepreneurs’ Wealth Creation Logic and Competence Development", Dean Qi proposed a 20-character wealth creation logic: "Off-Balance-Sheet Driven, Asset Allocation, Profit-Oriented, Cash is King, Eternal Value". He emphasized the core driving role of "off-balance-sheet assets"—such as entrepreneurs, their management teams, business models, and corporate culture—in enhancing enterprise value. Meanwhile, he elaborated on the "Five Intelligences and Five Connections Theory", pointing out that entrepreneurs need to possess IQ, EQ, Financial Quotient, Adversity Quotient, and Health Quotient, and rely on external conditions such as blood ties, academic connections, geographical ties, professional ties, and ideological ties to achieve the symbiotic development of personal and enterprise value. Later, he offered the "Six Learning Principles"—"learn content, learn methods, learn thinking, learn independently, learn at all times, learn everywhere"—as a guide for the freshmen’s growth. Quoting a famous line from Xunzi·Cultivating Oneself: "The path is long and arduous, but progress will be made if one keeps walking", he encouraged the students to "forge themselves into entrepreneurs of tomorrow through today’s learning".

Dean Qi Yudong Delivered a Speech

Zhou Jianghua, Assistant Dean and Director of the MBA Education Center presided over the ceremony

As a special guest, Ms. Yang Kun shared insights based on her 19 years of experience in corporate talent development. She pointed out that innovation is not an innate talent but stems from a user-centric perspective and thinking in a relaxed state. Taking cross-border AI integration cases as an entry point, she advised the students to cherish opportunities for cross-border communication, drive their learning with a sense of inquiry, and enhance their practical abilities. Finally, she encouraged the freshmen: "The MBA classroom is not the end of seeking answers, but the starting point of exploring questions. Only by replacing ‘standard answers’ with ‘question-driven learning’ can one move forward steadily amid the wave of digitalization."

Speech by Special Guest Ms. Yang Kun, Director of SAP University Alliances Greater China Region at SAP China Co., Ltd.

Cai Zijun, a faculty representative, welcomed the freshmen on behalf of all teachers of the School. Focusing on the transformation of career development logic, he shared three key observations: first, career development has shifted from "matching" to "adapting", requiring a "product mindset" to continuously improve oneself and fit into the environment; second, it has moved from "climbing upward" to "sustainable development", relying on good health, positive relationships, a proactive attitude, and continuous learning ability to cope with uncertainties; third, it has transitioned from "pursuing success" to "seeking meaning", using a sense of purpose as a spiritual guide to achieve long-term career value. He urged the freshmen to make good use of the interdisciplinary resources of Beijing Normal University and write a new chapter in their careers through "renewing themselves".

Speech by Cai Zijun, Faculty Representative of the School

Fan Liguang, a representative of current students and Chairman of the 17th MBA Union of the 2024 cohort, shared his learning experiences. He stated that the MBA program at Beijing Normal University is not only an academic institution but also a platform for ideological exchanges and practical growth. Through in-class theoretical learning and extracurricular activities such as entrepreneurship competitions and enterprise visits, students can shift from "inert thinking" to "embracing uncertainty". Quoting Peter Drucker’s question "Who am I, and what can I contribute?", he encouraged the freshmen to become "proactive drivers of change".

Speech by Fan Liguang, Representative of Current MBA Students

Yuan Shangyi, a representative of the freshmen, focused on the theme of "progress" and expressed his learning goals: "supplementing knowledge, expanding thinking, and connecting with like-minded peers". He promised to work with his classmates to uphold the wealth creation logic proposed by Dean Qi Yudong, stay true to their original aspirations during the two-year study journey, and inherit the spirit of Beijing Normal University’s MBA program.

Speech by Yuan Shangyi, Representative of 2025 MBA Freshmen

With the resounding university anthem, the first half of the ceremony came to an end. The second half, the orientation session, was hosted by Wang Lulu, Associate Director of the MBA Education Center.

Wang Lulu, Associate Director of the MBA Education Center, Hosted the Session

Wang Jun, Associate Secretary of the School’s Party Committee, welcomed the 2025 freshmen and put forward three guidelines for them: first, face the identity transition squarely—reshaping their identity from "professionals in the workplace" to "students" and starting anew with an "empty cup mindset"; second, abide by campus rules and inherit the academic tradition—respecting the 120-year-old school motto "“Learn, so as to instruct others; Act, to serve as example to all" and adhering to the School’s style of "rigor, pragmatism, cooperation, and innovation"; third, uphold academic integrity. He emphasized that "respecting academic norms and eliminating academic misconduct" is a professional ethics that every member of BNUBS must abide by, and that there is "zero tolerance" for academic misconduct, urging everyone to let "revering knowledge" become a lifelong professional ethics.

Speech by Wang Jun, Associate Secretary of the School’s Party Committee

Finally, Zhou Jianghua introduced all teachers of the MBA Education Center and systematically explained the overview of the MBA program and its distinctive training plan. He stated that the MBA Education Center is committed to cultivating compound management elites with keen business acumen, forward-looking technological insights, and profound humanistic heritage. He hoped that the freshmen would make good use of the platform, study actively, continuously sharpen their abilities, and achieve their life goals through mutual progress.

Contributed by MBA Education Center

Edited by Meng Jia

Reviewed by Sun Zhijun, Zhou Jianghua