Sias University held a summary meeting on January 11, to assess the work and achievements of the residential colleges over the course of the first semester of the 2018/19 academic year. The meeting also addressed issues such as the development plans and priorities of the residential colleges and included leaders and representatives from all the residential colleges as well as the Student Work Department.

The Chairman of the Board of Sias, Dr. Shawn Chen, Party Secretary, Ma Jiansheng, Executive President, Wang Jialin, Deputy Party Secretary, Li Huafeng, and Assistant Principal, Guo Xuede, attended the meeting. The Deputy Director of the Student Affairs Department, Chu Jinjin, presided over the meeting.

Guo Xuede thanked the leaders for the establishment and guidance provided to the residential colleges. He said that 2018 was the first year that the residential college system was fully implemented at Sias, and while each residential college faced its problems and difficulties, a lot was accomplished. The activities and development of unique characteristics of each college was a remarkable achievement, he said. He said that he hoped that each college would carry out exchanges with each other and would learn to grow and achieve collectively and individually.

The deans and deputy secretaries of the 8 residential colleges presented reports on the establishment, progress, innovation, achievements, problems, solutions, and future development plans of their respective residential colleges. Chu Jinjin spoke of the work done by the Student Affairs Office to support the residential colleges with regard to student management, mental health evaluation, student subsidies, scholarships, student associations, and the roles of educators and tutors. She said that by comparing data during the first semester, it was found that after the introduction of the residential college system, significant progress was made in the methods of study, examination discipline, and effectiveness of student associations.

Executive President, Wang Jialin, said that the residential colleges should increase their cooperation with the academic schools at Sias to maximize the potential of student organizations, as well as effectively integrate the classroom education in the residential colleges.

Finally, the Chairman of the Board of Sias University, Dr. Shawn Chen, spoke about his appreciation for the hard work and achievements made by the residential colleges during the past semester. He then put forward 3 suggestions for the colleges to reach the next step in their development:

- Each residential college should develop its unique characteristics without compromising on cooperation with each other. All activities and education should be thoroughly reviewed by experts.

- A residential college is an integral whole. There should be no divisions of labor between leaders. Work is to be collaborative and all members should respect each other and support each other.

- The goal of the teaching staff should follow paths of professional development.

Among all this, he said, educators should use scientific and technological means to improve the standard of education, even suggesting the use of artificial intelligence to break away from traditional forms of education.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Chen said that while Sias had shortcomings and areas that required improvement, with regard to residential colleges, Sias was at the forefront in China. He said that he hoped that all the leaders and staff would work together to explore, innovate, and make the residential college system a hallmark of Sias University.