Dean’s Welcome Speech

Cai Yinghui, Dean of Esther Hall

Karl Marx holds that “women’s development is a fundamental yardstick with which to measure overall social progress.” In a cultural sense, education is the most paramount pathway toward women’s development. Education could bring about positive influences by accelerating women’s development, such as innovating national society, driving national innovation, and advancing human civilization. Respecting women’s right to education,enhancing the educational environment for women, optimizing education policies at all levels and operation systems serve as integrated parts of high-quality Chinese modernization.

Research shows that women often face particular needs and troubles derived from gender differences as they grow up and will continue to face challenges in the future. Independent women’s collegeis able to provide women with increasing resources, opportunities, care and support to learn and grow, thus creating a greater space to uncover their potential and bringing them specific training and experience.

Following the motto of “to lead and to serve”, Esther Hall of STU aims to help female students fulfilling the purpose of “knowing yourself to lead personal growth and knowing the world to serve the society”. Through various female-oriented workshops, a series of SHE-themed events (including SHE · VISION, SHE ·POWER, SHE · ROLE MODEL and SHE · BLOSSOM), and STEAMprogram, Esther Hall works to improve female students’ comprehensive quality and interdisciplinary skills, empower them to adapt the continually changing and evolving world, and strengthen their self-awareness, leadership and commitment. Esther Hall creates a unique community environment for female students, delivering them increasing opportunities to express, communicate and practice. As exposedto the well-designed cultural landscape and facilities within Esther Hall, female students seed themselves down the unconscious environment to develop confidence and moderation to change the world.

Esther Hall is determinedly led by the university’s party committee and strongly supported by the Chow Kai Chuan Foundation. The fact convinces us that, together with the guidance of our internal and external instructors and the efforts of all female students, Esther Hall will be carrying forward the admirable tradition of the preceding“Shude Girls School in Shantou”in 1837 by encouraging female students to extensively participate in social activities, and endowing itself with new connotations of the new era.

We are expecting more outstanding and intelligent people to join our ranks of nurturing and developing female talents. Together we can guide female to give enough credit to their femininity and superiority, analyze their occupational values and view of life, and enhance their self-esteem, self-confidence, self-improvement, and self-reliance.