On January 16, an Unveiling Ceremony was held to formally announce Sias University's new name and status as an independent private university, according to the official notice from the Ministry of Education. The annual Spring Festival Gala was held after the Unveiling Ceremony.
The chief guests present included:
- Deputy Secretary-General of the Henan Provincial People's Government, Yin Hongbin
- Full-time Commissioner of the University Work Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, Chen Yinting
- Deputy Party Secretary of Zhengzhou University, Jia Shaoxin
- Vice President of Zhengzhou University, Zhang Qianhong
- Standing Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of Henan University of Economics & Law, Li Jinming,
- Director of the Development Planning Department at the Henan Department of Education, He Xiumen
- Director of the Student Affairs Department at the Henan Department of Education, Wang Jidong
- Director of the Politics & Law Department at the Henan Department of Education, Dong Yumin
- Member of the Standing Committee, and Minister of Propaganda at the Xinzheng Municipal Government, Zhang Huixian
- Researcher at the Higher Education Department of the Henan Department of Education, Qin Jianshen
- Researcher at the Science & Technology Department of the Henan Department of Education, Shi Xiaochun
- Deputy Director of the Public Office at the Henan Department of Education, Zhang Guoqiang
- Deputy Researcher of the Development Planning Department at the Henan Department of Education, Xie Qiucai
- former Vice President of Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhang Xin
- former Vice President of Henan University of Technology, Wang Yuqing
- Chief Section Officer of the Development & Planning Department at the Henan Department of Education, Zhao Linlin
- Director of the Department of Ideology & Politics at the Henan Department of Education, Zhang Huimin
Also present at the Unveiling Ceremony were the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sias University, Dr. Shawn Chen, Sias Party Secretary, Ma Jiansheng, Executive President, Wang Jialin, Deputy Party Secretary, Li Huafeng, and Vice President, Wu Huaa.
A number of journalists from various national, provincial, and local news media outlets were present, including those from People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, China Net, Henan Daily, Henan TV, Zhengzhou Daily, Zhengzhou TV, Fenghuang Network, Tencent Network, Netease, Sohu Network, Education Times, and Baidu News. Over 1,800 students, teachers, and employees of Sias University were also present.
Party Secretary, Ma Jiansheng, presided over the Unveiling Ceremony. He welcomed the guests and spoke about the importance of 2018 in Sias University's history. The university and its Party Committee had worked hard at ensuring all-round development in an orderly manner. This Unveiling Ceremony marked the beginning of a new journey for Sias and its development.
At the Unveiling Ceremony, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Henan Provincial People's Government, Yin Hongbin, read out the official notice that gave consent to the establishment of Sias University as an independent private university.
The Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sias, Dr. Shawn Chen, delivered a speech and thanked the leaders, guests, teachers, and students for their contribution to Sias. He said that Sias would hold fast to its ethics with regard to the running of the university and nurturing talents. He said that Sias would continue to embody the "East-meets-West; Knowledge meets Practice" mottoes and would strive towards innovation in education in a bid to be a first-class private university. Sias would make use of all of its resources, both domestically and internationally, and would continually contribute to the reform and development of higher education in China, as well as the economic and social development of education in Henan.
The Vice President of Zhengzhou University, Zhang Qianhong, delivered a speech and reviewed the history and growth of Sias University. He said that Sias had grasped its opportunities to develop especially through the mainstream of international development in Henan. Over the past 20 years, Zhengzhou University and Sias University had formed a special relationship. He said that Zhengzhou University would continue to support and help Sias. The Unveiling Ceremony marked a new and independent journey, and he said that he fully expected Sias to continue to develop and inspire at the rapid rate it had exhibited over the past 20 years.
The Commissioner of the University Work Committee of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, Chen Yinting, also delivered a speech and congratulated Sias on its new name and status as an independent private university, and its accomplishments over the past 20 years. He said that the establishment of Sias University had marked a higher stage of development and would inject new vitality into Henan's private education sector.
The official unveiling of Sias University was then carried out jointly by Yin Hongbin, Chen Yinting, Jia Shaoxin, and Dr. Shawn Chen.
