The 2023 SGE Dean’s meeting with new students was successfully held in the morning of September 4, 2023, at the University Hall. The meeting was presided over by Prof. Stella CHO, Associate Vice President (Student Development) and Acting Dean of SGE, and attended by the SGE Associate Deans Prof. Haipeng GUO and Prof. Hongyu WU, along with Prof. Lei SHI, Head of WPEC, and Dr. Milen JISSOV, Head of GECC. The meeting was part of the UIC New Students Orientation, and aimed to introduce the School of General Education to about 2,200 new students.

    After extending a warm welcome to the new students, Prof. Stella CHO explained the concept of General Education (GE) in the context of liberal arts education at UIC. She pointed out that liberal arts education is to cultivate students’ knowledge, skills and values needed to be well-round professionals, responsible citizens, and lifelong learners, with the purpose of nurturing students with international outlook and fostering Chinese culture and national passion. She also highlighted the importance of GE in contributing to the seven Graduate Attributes: Citizenship, Knowledge, Learning, Skills, Creativity, Communication, and Teamwork, and that GE could help students to develop critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills, and to cultivate innovative ability.

    Prof. Stella CHO further explained the GE curriculum structure and the unit requirements for graduation, with its comprehensive university core courses (37 units) and GE courses (18 units), which together account for about 30% of all units required for graduation.

    Following her introduction of SGE, Prof. Stella CHO invited the four center heads to illustrate the teaching and student activities offered by the SGE centers. Upholding liberal arts education, there are various student support programs, activities and clubs, such as educational lectures series, summer programs, Student English Learning Hub, and High Table Dinner.

    The meeting concluded with the closing remarks by Prof. Stella CHO, who advised students to be independent life-long learners, and to enjoy college life. The meeting provided an opportunity for new students to know more about UIC’s liberal arts education, its GE courses and activities, with the hope of flourishing under the guidance of teachers and mentors in their four-year university life.