Navigate the Fog, Forge Ahead with Light

Christmas and New Year¡¯s Letter from the Executive President: From Light-Seekers to Light-Makers

Navigate the Fog, Forge Ahead with Light

Dear members of academic staff, colleagues, students, alumni, parents, and friends of the XJTLU community:

As 2025 draws to a close, looking back from this year¡¯s end, we see not merely a year¡¯s footprints but an era in transition. Unlike the occasional shocks of ¡°black swans¡± in the past, today we find ourselves in a field where ¡°grey rhinos¡± gather ¨C Artificial Intelligence (AI)¡¯s exponential leap, geopolitical reshaping, climate crisis, fractured value systems... These are not sudden surprises but structural transformations that have been long accumulating, slowly advancing, yet ultimately unstoppable.

Today, uncertainty has become the norm. The question is no longer ¡°when will the fog lift and the sky clear?¡± but ¡°how do we navigate persistent fog?¡± This requires a fundamental rethinking of our mindset: how do we anchor our future amid crisis, remain vigilant in stability, harness a sense of urgency to fuel innovation, seize opportunities through forward thinking, and secure sustainable development through integrative wisdom?

First, follow the light of the times: identifying the future¡¯s pulse amid chaos

In 2025, we have witnessed AI¡¯s qualitative transformation from ¡°assistive tool¡± to ¡°cognitive partner¡±. As ChatGPT¡¯s successors become capable of multimodal reasoning, as quantum computing begins solving problems beyond the reach of classical computers, and as synthetic biology brings ¡°designing life¡± from science fiction into reality, the torrent of technology seems to be rewriting civilisation¡¯s foundational code at an unprecedented pace.

Yet, beneath this technological torrent, what truly drives transformation? Is it the enhancement of computing power? The breakthrough of algorithms? Or the accumulation of data? I believe the deeper driving force lies in the migration of human cognitive paradigms: from ¡°knowledge possession¡± to ¡°wisdom generation¡±, from ¡°single-perspective depth¡± to ¡°multidimensional integration¡±, and from ¡°human-centred creation¡± to ¡°human-machine symbiotic co-creation¡±.

I have proposed a four-level framework for understanding the new world we are entering ¨C a methodology of stratified cognition, essential as we navigate today¡¯s fog:

The first level: observing phenomena. We witness tempestuous transformations as AI displaces jobs, algorithms manipulate public discourse, and data breaches compromise privacy. Confronted by these volatile surface-level shocks, people readily succumb to anxiety and resistance.

The second level: comprehending patterns and structures. From the Industrial Age¡¯s standardised production to the Intelligent Age¡¯s personalised creation; from hierarchical management structures to networked collaborative ecosystems; from knowledge-transmission pedagogy to accomplishment-cultivating education ¨C these pattern-level shifts are fundamentally reshaping our lives, work, and social fabric.

The third level: grasping paradigms and worldviews. AI is not merely a technological instrument; it provokes profound philosophical inquiry into what constitutes intelligence, what constitutes creation, and what constitutes humanity. When machines can compose poetry, write music, create art, and even make scientific discoveries, where precisely does humanity¡¯s unique value reside? This is a fundamental question that human civilisation must answer anew.

The fourth level: forging mindset and wisdom. Breaking through fog requires not just knowledge but an elevated mindset and cultivated wisdom. This means maintaining conviction amid chaos, preserving composure in uncertainty, upholding values through flux, generating creativity from anxiety, and safeguarding humanity¡¯s warmth in the face of technology.

Over the past year, drawing on these insights, XJTLU has comprehensively advanced its ¡°Education+AI¡± strategy ¨C not simply introducing AI into classrooms but fundamentally reshaping the educational ecosystem. While leveraging AI to provide personalised support, we intensify critical thinking training. While using AI to enhance design and assessment efficiency, we invest greater energy in igniting students¡¯ creativity. Yet we are keenly aware that XJTLU¡¯s educational transformation has only just begun. We must delve further into restructuring teaching processes and reimagining the interactive dynamics among academic staff, students, AI, and the broader ecosystem, ensuring that education, empowered by digital intelligence, truly focuses on whole-person cultivation.

Second, follow the light of innovation: reshaping value¡¯s course amid turbulence

If technological revolutions reshape our ¡°toolbox¡±, then deeper transformations occur in our values and worldviews. In 2025, globalisation faces unprecedented challenges as the world undergoes ¡°retribalisation¡±, with mounting tensions among civilisations, ideologies, and development models.

This echoes the great intellectual debates of the 20th century: Oskar Lange versus Ludwig von Mises, John Rawls versus Robert Nozick, Jean-Paul Sartre versus Raymond Aron. These thinkers contested not merely institutional frameworks but fundamental questions: ¡°What makes a good society?¡± ¡°What defines human dignity?¡± Their debates shaped the post-war order and influenced generations.

Today, we stand at a similar crossroads: How can AI serve universal benefit rather than deepen divides? When globalisation falters, how do we balance the local with the global? How do we forge new equilibria between efficiency and equity, freedom and order, innovation and stability?

XJTLU¡¯s answer lies in what we call ¡°integrative¡± wisdom.

Horizontally, we are dismantling disciplinary barriers to advance genuine interdisciplinary integration. The deep collaboration between the XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) and industry partners like Bosch and CP Group transcends traditional ¡°industry-academia-research cooperation¡± and creates what we term a ¡°problem-solving community¡±. Real-world enterprise challenges become learning projects and capstone topics for students; student innovation informs corporate strategy; and academic research translates directly into productivity. Organisationally, we are reforming audaciously by dissolving rigid departmental boundaries and replacing them with flexible problem-oriented project teams, interest-driven disciplinary communities, and thematic research clusters. This allows resources to flow toward problems rather than hierarchy, and talent to drive innovation rather than being confined by structure.

Vertically, we have built a comprehensive ecosystem spanning foundational education, higher education, and lifelong learning. XJTLU Affiliated Schools in Suzhou extend our student-centred philosophy into K-12 education. Our Suzhou Industrial Park campus deepens international professional elite education, with multiple disciplines entering the global top 1% of ESI rankings. The explorations at XIPU-Linyi College of Dream Chasers and XIPU-Weinan College of Dream Chasers extend the three XJTLU models (XJTLU 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0) to applied undergraduate and vocational education. Meanwhile, the X-Eco Mall digital platform operates beyond physical boundaries, making quality educational resources accessible to a broader community of learners while supporting industrial digital transformation and innovation upgrading.

Radiating outward, we continuously break down walls to foster a symbiotic and mutually beneficial ecosystem for all educational stakeholders. Through this integration, education becomes truly embedded in society. From China¡¯s educational reform and innovation practices to Suzhou Industrial Park¡¯s industrial upgrading, from Taicang¡¯s urban innovation to the Yangtze River Delta¡¯s regional coordinated development, XJTLU¡¯s faculty and students contribute their wisdom across these endeavours. We are not knowledge producers in ivory towers, but active participants in societal transformation.

This multidimensional integration makes XJTLU an exemplar of an ¡°intelligent learning organisation¡±. We not only cultivate learners but also evolve ourselves; we not only disseminate knowledge but create it; we not only adapt to change but lead it.

Third, illuminate the light of humanity: safeguarding spiritual resilience amid changes

In an age where AI can instantly answer millions of questions, what is education¡¯s fundamental mission? My answer is this: to awaken and cultivate those human qualities that algorithms can never replace.

Foremost is the capacity for deep thinking. In an era of information overload, what is precious is not data but insight, not answers but questions. Our students are able to discern truth from falsehood, preserve convictions amid cacophonous voices, rethink conclusions amidst the seduction of quick answers, and seek deeper truths beneath packaged solutions. This ability to ¡°think slowly¡± and ¡°delve deeply¡± defends us against algorithmic dominance and cognitive stagnation.

Second is intrinsic motivation rooted in interest. When fundamental material needs are satisfied and traditional success paradigms are being challenged, only deep passion and authentic curiosity can sustain creative endeavor. Our education must help each student discover their own questions, those that haunt their midnight hours, worthy of lifelong pursuit. This intrinsic motivation can anchor them through career transformations and counter meaninglessness.

Third is the wisdom to coexist with AI. Future competitive advantage will stem not from outpacing AI in speed or precision, but from identifying AI¡¯s limitations, posing questions beyond AI¡¯s imagination, and leveraging AI to unlock humanity¡¯s greatest capacities. This requires us to persistently examine in education: What capabilities are uniquely human? How do we safeguard autonomy in human-AI partnerships? How can technology strengthen rather than weaken our human essence? How do we provide students the keys to harmonizing ¡°human wisdom¡± and ¡°machine intelligence¡±?

Final is resilience for lifelong learning. With knowledge becoming outdated more rapidly and careers requiring multiple pivots, the traditional ¡°learn once, apply forever¡± approach no longer serves us. We must cultivate a meta-learning capacity that is the mental resilience to learn how to learn, grow through failure, explore the unknown, and evolve amid constant changes.

This past year, we have witnessed XJTLUers thrive across diverse domains. What distinguishes them extends beyond professional mastery to encompass what we call ¡°integrated personality¡±, where rational rigour meets emotional sensitivity, where independent thinking dances with collaborative spirit, where cultural rootedness opens to global perspectives.

Fourth, carry the light of steadfast action: uphold exploratory courage amid turbulence

When we talk about navigating through the fog, we must acknowledge that this fog arises not only from the uncertainties of the external world, but also from the doubts and noise along our path. As we explore the future education with unprecedented speed and depth, we encounter both praise and criticism, understanding and misinterpretation, constructive reflection and conservative resistance ¨C all following like shadows.

In 2025, we have heard concerns from certain international think tanks about transnational education models, scepticism from traditional ranking systems toward innovative practices, and apprehension from conservative circles about bold reforms. These voices serve as warnings and reflections of how yesterday¡¯s standards are applied to tomorrow¡¯s exploration, and how industrial-era criteria are used to judge intelligent-age innovation.

This recalls the pioneers of every educational revolution throughout history: When Wilhelm von Humboldt founded the modern research university, he was ridiculed as an ¡°impractical idealist¡±; when John Dewey championed progressive education, he was criticised for ¡°indulging students and lowering standards¡±; when MIT initially integrated engineering education with scientific research, it was mocked by traditional universities as a ¡°nondescript vocational school¡±. Yet it was precisely these ¡°heretics¡± of their time who ultimately became exemplars for posterity. Great creators must possess the courage to demonstrate vulnerability publicly, to acknowledge imperfections in exploration, and to embrace the uncertainties of the future, yet still venture forth.

As ¡°intelligence¡± becomes increasingly commodified, what becomes truly scarce is not perfect answers but the courage to explore the unknown; not risk-avoiding maturity but the fearlessness to embrace failure; not seeking safety in conformity but daring to break boundaries; not following the crowd but pursuing inner conviction; not retreating from ridicule but advancing with honest thinking and humble wisdom. All these qualities, in an age obsessed with perfection, prove invaluable.

Facing noise and waves of criticism, we need three key abilities:

First, the wisdom to discern. When confronted with diverse voices, we must distinguish constructive questioning from destructive attacks. If criticism stems from misunderstanding, we respond with transparency and openness; if it arises from ideological differences, we engage through rationality and evidence; if it originates from conflicts of interest disguised as attack, we prove our worth through achievements and the passage of time.

Second, the determination to break through. To lead future education, we must maintain both foresight, experimentation, and transformative courage, while remaining grounded in reality, innovating in management, excelling in operations, and continuously upgrading. We refuse to halt our progress in the face of doubt, instead cultivating depth and rigour to ensure our explorations withstand the test of time.

Third, the faith in our mission. Our dedication springs from confidence in our developmental vision and future prospects. Given time, the seeds we plant today will grow into towering trees. We believe XJTLUers will distinguish themselves across all sectors and industries, and our innovative models will be widely adopted. Then, scepticism will transform into admiration; unconventional explorations will be recognised as exemplars of innovation; and the stubbornness once criticised will be celebrated as pioneering courage. This is not arrogance, but unwavering faith in educational principles, profound respect for talent development, and keen understanding of historical progress.

As John Dewey said a century ago when he championed educational reform in America: ¡°If we teach today¡¯s students as we taught yesterday¡¯s, we rob them of tomorrow.¡± This resonates more powerfully than ever today. True to our commitment, we stand unwavering against external noise and undeterred by transient scepticism. By doing what is right and doing it well, time will prove us right.

The past 19 years for XJTLU have been far more than a journey of growth. They represent a chronicle of educational exploration. It is our shared conviction and wisdom-driven actions that position XJTLU as a guiding light amid the uncertainties of 2025. Our expanding global connections, deepening cross-sector collaborations, increasingly vibrant innovation ecosystem, and the dedication and excellence of every academic staff member, colleague, and student collectively illuminate the path ahead for XJTLU.

The ocean ahead is vast and restless, waves crashing, beacons flickering faintly. Let us move forward together with visionary foresight and pioneering courage, guided by wisdom bridging East and West, the synergy of technology and humanity, the capacity for human-AI collaboration, along with inner resolve and relentless innovation. We shall follow the light, undeterred by fog or the unknown ¨C staying clear-minded amid uncertainty, remaining true to our mission through changes, igniting creativity amid doubt, and growing throughout the journey.

Deepest thanks to all XJTLU members for your dedication and to our friends for walking alongside us. Wishing you and your families a joyous Christmas, a prosperous New Year, and a vibrant Spring Festival. May the light within always guide you ¨C navigate the fog, forge ahead with light!

Professor Youmin Xi

Executive President of XJTLU