Dear faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends,

At the threshold of 2026, as the Year of the Snake draws to a close and the Year of the Horse opens a new chapter, we extend our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to all faculty, staff, and students, alumni at home and abroad, leaders at all levels, and friends from all sectors who have cared for and supported the development of Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology (HUHST).

In 2025, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we thoroughly studied and implemented the guiding principles of the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 20^th CPC Central Committee, and remained committed to the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. In serving Hunan’s “Three Strategic Highlands and Four New Missions” blueprint and advancing toward the goal of building a high-level application-oriented university with distinctive strengths, we made solid progress.

It was a year of unity and shared commitment. Party building was strengthened across the university, with high-quality Party building continuing to guide high-quality development. We carried out study and education on implementing the CPC Central Committee’s eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, proactively accepted the ninth round of inspection by the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, and advanced both immediate rectification and long-term institutional improvement. HUHST was recognized as a “National Civilized Campus” in the third cohort. In the provincial performance review of university Party secretaries on grassroots Party building, the university received a “Good” rating for the third consecutive year. Work related to ideology remained sound, with no major negative public opinion incidents recorded. The university’s China Democratic League Committee was honored as an “Advanced Grassroots Organization” by the Central Committee of the China Democratic League.

We continued to build a comprehensive framework for ideological and political education and steadily advanced the all-staff, whole-process, and all-round education model. Party members and officials visited student dormitories, and the “Three Contacts” initiative helped build a bridge of communication between teachers and students. The provincial pilot department for the all-staff, whole-process, and all-round education initiative successfully passed its final review. We deepened full and strict Party self-governance and promoted the development of a clean and upright campus. Rural revitalization was advanced with concrete results: road construction, power generation, seedling cultivation and factory development all brought real benefits to local villagers. We developed six high-quality red-themed ideological and political courses on Cai Hesen and actively applied to become a pilot institution in Hunan for the integrated development of ideological and political courses across universities, primary schools and secondary schools. HUHST was recognized as an advanced institution in ideological and political work research among Hunan universities, an advanced institution in student affairs research and practice in Hunan, and an excellent organizer of university activities in Hunan on fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

It was a year of abundant achievements. Faculty and talent development reached a new level. Over the year, HUHST recruited or cultivated 43 PhD holders, added four leading and sci-tech innovation talents under the Hunan Furong Talent Program, and gained seven new provincial young backbone teachers. The “Two Optimizations” reform made concrete progress. The university further improved its discipline and program structure, adding two undergraduate engineering programs and discontinuing or suspending admissions to ten undergraduate programs. The “Four New” initiative achieved new breakthroughs. Two projects were selected for Hunan’s “Four New” initiative; three courses were recognized as national first-class online-offline blended undergraduate courses; three courses were selected as provincial model courses for curriculum-based ideological and political education; and HUHST won one national award and nine provincial awards in teaching innovation competitions. The university completed the undergraduate education and teaching audit evaluation to a high standard and successfully passed the Ministry of Education’s evaluation of its cooperative education program. The Mathematics and Applied Mathematics program and the Chemistry program passed the Ministry of Education’s second-level accreditation for teacher education programs, while six teacher education programs, including Chinese Language and Literature, successfully completed their on-site reviews.

Scientific research reached new heights. The university’s total research funding exceeded RMB 100 million. HUHST jointly established the Hunan Advanced Ceramics Technology Innovation Center with the Loudi National Economic and Technological Development Zone, and was recognized by the Hunan Provincial People’s Government as an outstanding institution for its performance in implementing the “Eight Major Initiatives”. The university secured 91 research projects funded by sources including the National Social Science Fund, the Hunan Provincial Social Science Fund, and the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation Regional Joint Fund. Two sci-tech innovation teams were approved under the Hunan Furong Talent Program, and 12 provincial-level high-quality ideological and political education research projects were launched. Students continued to achieve outstanding results in competitions. They won 13 first prizes in individual events at national college student sports competitions, and 20 projects were approved under the National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program. Students also performed strongly in the “Golden Seed Cup”, the Hunan provincial competition of the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, the “Challenge Cup” and other competitions. In discipline-specific student competitions organized by the Hunan Provincial Department of Education, HUHST students won 30 first prizes, and the university received two excellent organization awards.

It was a year of warmth and cohesion. We continued to improve campus facilities and worked to enhance the sense of fulfillment and well-being among faculty, staff, and students. A three-year action plan for student dormitory renovation was introduced, and Building No. 8 of the Sunshine Apartment complex, a provincial key livelihood project, was topped out, creating a warmer and more comfortable environment for learning and living. We completed, to a high standard, the upgrading of Dongzhu Avenue and Xuehai Road, the construction of the Beidou Campus parking lot, and the improvement of the road network in the Nanjia Residential Area. Canteens No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 began operating under university management; sports venues were fully opened through a reservation system; and library study spaces were expanded with extended opening hours.

We made strong efforts to promote high-quality employment. The university’s employment rate remained above the provincial average, and special support was provided for students facing employment difficulties, whose job placement rate reached 100%. Seventy-one regulations and policies covering teaching, research, personnel affairs, and other areas were newly introduced or revised, further improving the university’s institutional system. Outstanding alumni Fu Shenglong and Xiao Zhihai led their respective enterprises onto the list of China’s Top 500 Enterprises, while Xiao Zhihai was also named a 2025 Outstanding Contributor under the “Alumni Returning to Hunan” initiative. Through their dedication and achievements, they have brought honor to their alma mater.

As we ride into the 15^th Five-Year Plan period, we will press ahead toward the future with both speed and steadiness. The year 2026 is crucial for fully implementing the guiding principles of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20^th CPC Central Committee. It also marks the opening year of HUHST’s 15^th Five-Year Plan and a decisive year in the university’s efforts to take its development to a higher level. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, HUHST will unite and lead all faculty, staff, and students in focusing firmly on the goals of securing authorization to confer master’s degrees and pursuing high-quality development. With determination, pragmatism, and a strong sense of responsibility, we will strive to write a new chapter in the university’s development.

We sincerely wish our great motherland splendor, prosperity, and lasting strength.

We wish HUHST continued success and greater achievements.

We wish you and your families a joyful Year of the Horse and every happiness.