On September 3, the School of Foreign Languages and Literatures (SFLL) held a symposium for faculty members hired between 2022 and 2026 to learn about their professional and personal circumstances, and their feedback and suggestions, and introduce talent-related policies. The meeting was chaired by Lu Xiaobing, Secretary of the SFLL Party Committee. Zhu Gang, Dean of the SFLL, and Chen Jianlin, Vice Dean, also attended. Faculty members including Shi Yanan, Feng Yue, Zhao Jinchang, Bie Zhi, Kong Xinke, Gao Yu, Ma Qifeng, and Xie Xiao, along with Fan Yaqiu and Li Xiao from the SFLL Faculty Affairs Office, were present as well.

Lu Xiaobing introduced the University’s and the School’s key policies and priorities regarding talent development. He emphasized the School’s strong commitment to talent development and encouraged young faculty members to make full use of available talent policies and carry out their teaching and research responsibilities diligently. Fan Yaqiu provided a detailed picture of the Longyuan Talent Service Card policy.

The newly hired faculty members took turns sharing updates on their work since joining the School, expressing their gratitude for the support and professional development opportunities provided by the University and the School and pledging to continue working hard and pursuing professional growth. Drawing on their work experience, they also offered opinions and advice on several issues, including year-end performance evaluations, the tension between heavy teaching workloads and limited research time, eligibility requirements for graduate student supervisors, and student education and management.

The School’s leadership listened carefully and responded to the issues raised. Lu Xiaobing introduced the background and rationale for the reforms to year-end performance evaluations. He encouraged young faculty members to develop their potential, play an increasingly active role in the School’s development, and contribute to its collective work. Chen Jianlin, addressing specific questions concerning the appointment of graduate student supervisors, student enrollment, and program development, stressed the balance to strike between teaching and research, work and personal life, and individual growth and the School’s development. Zhu Gang urged young faculty members to uphold high standards, meet the requirements of the University and the School, and strive to publish high-quality research papers, with suggestions on reducing teaching hours for non-core courses where appropriate to allow more time for research and avoid disrupting research progress, participating in academic conferences and other scholarly activities to advance their research, as well as challenging themselves in the working environment to support their professional growth.

In his concluding remarks, Lu Xiaobing noted that the symposium had both helped share talent-related policies and acted as a chance for the School to better understand the circumstances of its young faculty members. The School will establish a long-term communication mechanism to provide them with sustained support for the professional development.