On the morning of September 11, the 2026 New Student Welcome Ceremony of International College(IC), Xiamen University(XMU) was grandly held in the Grand Lecture Hall of Building 3 on the Zhangzhou Campus. The ceremony was attended by Yu Hongbo, Dean of IC; Gwion Sims, Director of International Recruitment, Partnerships and Mobility, University of York; Zhang Xiaoyun and He Haitao, Vice Deans of the College; representatives of faculty and staff; and the 2026 new students. The ceremony was presided over by Ma Xianghua, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of IC.

The ceremony commenced with the majestic national anthem. On behalf of the College, Dean Yu Hongbo delivered a speech. She briefly reviewed Xiamen University's educational journey and, combining the College's distinctive features and talent cultivation achievements, offered three hopes to the new students. First, carry forward Xiamen University's century-old glory and take the XMU spirit as the foundation for your onward journey. Embrace the world with an open mind, serve society with solid expertise, and integrate personal development into the broader progression of the times, striving to be a promising young person who contributes to the nation and shoulders responsibility for society. Second, remain diligent and self-disciplined to develop outstanding capabilities; make good use of artificial intelligence without blindly following it, devote oneself to rigorous study, and proactively acquire new knowledge and adapt to new challenges. Third, cultivate a global perspective and a world vision of shouldering missions, seize opportunities for overseas study and exchange, maintain composure in a complex and ever-changing international environment, and serve as both a sincere storyteller of China's stories and a steadfast builder of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In his address, Gwion Sims congratulated the new students on embarking on a new academic year. He stated that the University of York is ready to join hands with partners such as Xiamen University to create a learning journey that is academically rigorous and well-supported, and trusted by students, parents, and institutions alike. He looked forward to deepening cooperation with Xiamen University in the future to create high-quality learning opportunities for outstanding students, and encouraged the freshmen to cherish their opportunities, ask more questions, participate more actively, challenge themselves, and enjoy this learning experience.

As a faculty representative, Mr. Wang Zhendong noted in his speech that choosing the International College means choosing a path to the world. The College cultivates not only "people who can speak English," but also "people with a global perspective, a sense of national commitment, and cross-cultural communication skills." With three keywords—"curiosity, courage, and perseverance"—he encouraged the new students to learn to ask questions, dare to try, and persist, and expressed that all faculty members of IC are willing to serve as guides, companions, and supporters for the students.

Alumnus representative Chen Zhengyu, drawing on his own growth experience from graduating from IC to receiving the Outstanding Student Scholarship at James Cook University, encouraged the new students to cherish the room for trial and error and the rich resources offered by IC, take the initiative to plan their academic careers, make good use of practical opportunities to enhance their comprehensive abilities, and navigate the path of overseas study and personal growth under the guidance of the College and its faculty.

Xie Anqi, a student, entered in 2024, and Lin Shiting, a freshman spoke as representatives of current students and new students, respectively. Drawing on her own academic and campus life experiences, Xie Anqi encouraged the new students to proactively adapt to the new teaching model and the pace of self-directed learning, build a solid professional foundation, actively engage in social practice and research exchange activities, and clarify their development direction through diverse explorations. On behalf of all freshmen, Lin Shiting expressed that they will carry forward the spirit of Tan Kah Kee, take the international platform as a starting point to hone their language and critical thinking skills and cultivate a global perspective, face challenges with courage and determination, and write their answers to the times with the brush of youth.

Finally, the ceremony concluded successfully with the solemn singing of the university anthem.