2025 New Year Message from the School of Software Engineering

2025 New Year Message

Wang Shixian, Secretary of the Party Committee of SSE

Bai Xiang, Dean of SSE

The seasons turn and all things renew. On the occasion of New Year celebration, we extend our sincere greetings and New Year’s wishes on behalf of the School’s Party Committee and administration to all faculty, staff, retired colleagues, alumni at home and abroad, and friends from all sectors of society who have long supported the development of the School of Software Engineering.

In 2024, under the strong leadership and steadfast support of the University Committee of HUST and administration, the School of Software Engineering achieved significant milestones. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we prioritized ethical education while advancing institutional planning, enhanced faculty recruitment to build a robust academic team, modernized teaching methodologies, elevated research capabilities, and successfully drove our school’s transformation—fulfilling all strategic objectives with distinction.

This year, we stayed true to our mission, steering the course with unwavering focus.

We deepened theoretical learning by establishing a robust learning framework that combines leadership-led study, training seminars, collaborative partnerships, and hands-on practice. To strengthen Party discipline education, we rolled out the SSE Party Discipline Education Implementation Plan and kicked off the initiative with a high-profile launch conference. Our inaugural Party Discipline Knowledge Competition sparked engagement, while integrity-themed campaigns led by faculty and students gained national spotlight coverage. We also advanced organizational development by admitting 32 new Party members, granting full membership for 32 members, conducting 3 Party School sessions (148 participants), winning an “Outstanding Organizational Unit” award, establishing a top-tier Party Affairs Center with a new charter, and cultivating the “Software Pioneer” brand integrating Party-building with academics.

This year, we doubled down on reform, elevating our governance to new heights.

We sharpened the Party committee’s political role, adhering strictly to governance protocols with 28 Party committee meetings and 42 joint leadership sessions. A deepening reform of institutional systems saw 29 new regulations introduced, covering talent recruitment, faculty development, teaching standards, student support, and procurement. Safety remained non-negotiable: our four-tier safety management grid—spanning school leadership, faculty advisors, counselors, and class safety officers—kept risks at bay, achieving a zero-incident record for the year. Looking ahead, we chart a visionary course: by convening deans and experts from leading schools of software engineering nationwide, we refined our discipline development roadmap and locked in ambitious five-year goals. This collaborative effort ensures we’re ahead of the curve in shaping the future of software education

This year, we advanced talent development, achieving transformative breakthroughs in team building.

To bolster our faculty ranks, we rolled out six key initiatives, including the Software School Talent Recruitment Support and Service Guidelines, the “Talent Special Zone” Implementation Plan, and the Young Faculty Development Program. We secured one Changjiang Scholar and one Hubei Province’s “100 Talents Plan” awardee—marking our first-ever nationally recognized academic leaders cultivated through the school’s own nominations. Five new hires passed rigorous evaluations, with three joining as “Huawei Genius Youth” program alumni. Additionally, three were named to Stanford University’s Global Top 2% Scientists List. We appointed seven adjunct professors (six holding national-level distinctions) and one Hubei Industrial Professor to bridge academia-industry gaps, enhancing our interdisciplinary ecosystem. Besides, we hosted the 13th International Young Scholars’ East Lake Forum sub-forum, drawing eight rising stars from leading institutions worldwide.

This year, we pushed boundaries, achieving groundbreaking progress in research.

We launched our first professional doctoral program, enrolling 8 Ph.D. students. We hosted 18+ high-profile forums including the 18th National Conference on Operating System Education, China Society of Image and Graphics Young Talent Support Forum, and AI-assisted oracle bone inscription research symposiums. We established the Rail Transit Vision Research Center with Wuhan Leaddo Measuring & Control Co.,Ltd. and pioneered cross-disciplinary collaboration through the Medical AI Research Center. Additionally, we secured 5 major grants (1 NSFC Key Project, 2 Hubei NSF grants, 1 National R&D Program sub-project); research contracts surged 43% year on year. We also won the Hubei Natural Science First Prize and Youth Tech Innovation Award; 1 breakthrough named to HUST’s 2024 Major Academic Achievements; published 30+ papers in Nature sub-journals and top-tier AI/CS conferences.

This year, we strengthened our educational mission, achieving new milestones in talent development.

We partnered with Baidu to build an AI education innovation hub and launch China’s first PaddlePaddle Class, featured in People’s Daily, revamped curricula to build a “China-rooted, open-source-innovative” software engineering talent pipeline. A faculty member won the National First Prize in Emerging Engineering Education; another received the Outstanding Computer Science Faculty Award. Launched the university-wide elective AI & Large Model Fundamentals and hosted the Software Frontiers Academic Salon with industry leaders. We expanded new platforms for holistic education, advanced the development of “one-stop student communities,” and established an academic culture development system featuring daily supervision, targeted support, and an inspiring environment. Outstanding academic classes now account for 67%. Students secured 110 provincial/ministerial-level competition awards, including 12 national first prizes in Category B+ competitions under the Ministry of Education. A groundbreaking achievement was made with the college’s first-ever national first prize in the “Challenge Cup” Unveiled Mission Special Competition. The 2024 graduating class achieved a 97.75% employment rate, ranking second among engineering departments, with 12 graduates opting for grassroots positions—a milestone in community-oriented career placement. The college earned the "Outstanding Organization Award" in the university’s 2nd Career Planning Competition.

This year, we deepened global engagement, with collaborations reaching new heights.

Progress accelerated in joint undergraduate programs with Australia’s University of New South Wales. Prof. Ian Nabney, Associate Dean of Engineering at the University of Bristol, visited to advance discussions on “3+1” dual-degree initiatives and partnerships. The newly established Eddy Japan Scholarship now supports 10 undergraduates annually. We welcomed 4 international undergraduates and 1 graduate student, with one undergraduate earning the university’s Outstanding International Graduate honor. Our English-language website launched, amplifying our global visibility. Strengthening social impact, we pioneered Hubei Province’s first AI Trainer Certification Program, which drew widespread media coverage from People’s Daily, Hubei Provincial Government Portal and Hubei Daily.

This year, we amplified our voice, achieving breakthroughs in narrative building and cultural branding.

Proactively expanding our digital footprint, we published 505 posts on our WeChat public account, amassing 340,000 annual views. The account ranked among the university’s Top 30 institutional platforms six times, including two appearances in the top three departmental rankings. Faculty-student collaboration produced the microfilm AI Brings Love Home, which won a national first prize at the Tell China Stories International Creative Communication Competition and was named an outstanding promotional work at the 7th National College Cyber Culture Festival. We refined our identity through a college-wide campaign to craft the CODE ethos (Collaborative Open-source Development) and the motto “Innovation, Openness, Diligence, Excellence”. Strengthening alumni ties, we visited alumni-founded enterprises, launched the Wuhan Alumni Chapter, and hosted a 20th-anniversary reunion for our inaugural undergraduate class (2004). Alumni engagement highlights included a lecture by Wu Jie, founder of Shimo Docs, and the inclusion of Zhang Jie (founder of VIPThink) in the university’s Dream Chasers of HUST alumni spotlight series.

Reflecting on 2024, we forged excellence through perseverance and embraced responsibility to achieve milestones. Looking ahead to 2025, we step forward with unyielding passion and relentless drive.

Together, let us meet this year of hope and challenges with unwavering efforts and steadfast belief. As the dawn of the new year lights our path, may our faculty and students weave dreams together, where perseverance blooms into brilliance and shared dedication writes new chapters.

Wishing you all a joyous New Year filled with health, professional success, academic growth, and boundless happiness for you and your families!

December 31st, 2024