On March 25 at noon, the opening ceremony of the 2025 "Mingde" Youth Leadership Training Camp at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE) was held in the First-Floor Auditorium of the Entrepreneurship Center. The event was attended by Wu Fei, Founding Partner of Shanghai Daode Investment Management Partnership Co., Ltd., SUFE Trustee, and donor of the "Mingde" Education Fund; Zhou Guoliang, Deputy Secretary of the SUFE Party Committee; Cao Dongbo, Party Committee Member and Director of the Publicity Department; leaders of relevant functional departments; youth mentors; and all participants of the 2025 "Mingde" Youth Leadership Training Camp and the State Affairs Training Camp.
大学之道，在明明德：The Great Learning teaches to illustrate illustrious virtue.
He Weiwei, Secretary of the SUFE Youth League Committee, introduced the "Mingde" Youth Leadership Development Program at SUFE. Since Mr. Wu Fei established the "Mingde" Education Development Fund in 2017, the SUFE Mingde Youth Leadership Training Camp has been committed to nurturing future industry leaders. It focuses on developing key competencies such as leadership communication, strategic decision-making, cultural discernment, and organizational practice. To date, the program has successfully held seven thematic training camps, seven Cambridge overseas camps, and three state affairs training camps, cultivating over 1,000 students. Past participants have set high standards through their strong competitiveness in high-level employment, diverse academic pursuits, and expanded international perspectives, inspiring the new cohort of the "Mingde" Youth Leadership Training Camp.
Trustee Wu Fei shared the motivation behind establishing the "Mingde" Fund on the occasion of the university's 100th anniversary. He expressed his hope that every participant would approach life with the right attitude, do the right things, and stay on the right path. Focusing on the theme of "leadership," he encouraged students to first excel at being led before leading others, to seize opportunities to cultivate leadership skills, and to practice and pass on the spirit of youth leadership. He also urged students to study financial knowledge while deeply understanding leadership knowledge from ancient and modern, domestic and international perspectives, planting a seed of "leadership" within themselves to maximize individual impact in the tide of the times.
明志承德，星光引路: Setting Aspirations and Guiding with Starlight
Chen Yuning, a sophomore from the School of Accounting and a former outstanding participant, shared her experiences and insights from the "Mingde" Youth Leadership Training Camp. She recalled how the theoretical and case-based courses in the program helped her improve communication efficiency and teamwork skills. She also shared her reflections from her overseas study at the University of Cambridge. Chen encouraged new participants to seize the opportunity to become young professionals with greater global competence, grounded in the times, integrating domestic and international perspectives, and looking toward the future.
Song Hanqi, a freshman from Kuangshi College and a representative of the 2025 "Mingde" Youth Leadership Training Camp, expressed that the program is a valuable opportunity to broaden his horizons and enhance his overall qualities. He believes that leadership involves not only leading a team but also understanding members, assigning tasks accurately, and advancing plans effectively. He pledged to cherish this opportunity, discover his potential, address his shortcomings, and grow together with fellow participants while exploring broader fields.
明德修身，匡时致远：To refine one's moral character through self-cultivation,And guide the world toward enduring prosperity.
Participants witnessed the launch and book-donation ceremony of the newly published Mingde Case Teaching Collection. Based on real-life scenarios of student growth, the book focuses on the acquisition and generative cultivation of leadership, covering multiple levels such as individual, team, organizational, and strategic leadership development. The publication of this book will enrich the curriculum of the training camp and serve as a specialized textbook for future case-based teaching.
Deputy Secretary Zhou Guoliang extended his best wishes to the new cohort of "Mingde" participants, expressed sincere gratitude to Trustee Wu Fei, and highly affirmed the seven-year journey of the Mingde Youth Leadership Training Camp, emphasizing its significant role in nurturing and developing students. He shared three expectations for the participants: First, engage with experts. The "Mingde" program provides abundant resources and opportunities for close interaction with experts, allowing participants to broaden their thinking and enhance their overall qualities. Second, read classics. The program creates cross-cultural communication opportunities, and through studying classic works, participants can develop good habits and enrich their knowledge. Third, learn collaboratively. The program fosters diverse intellectual exchanges, and by working together with peers, participants can learn teamwork and promote mutual growth.
The 2025 "Mingde" Youth Leadership Training Camp continues to combine first and second classroom education, building a more comprehensive teaching system. It also reintroduces the foundational Kuangshi Special Program, aimed at supporting the university's cultivation of top talent in foundational disciplines and actively responding to national strategic needs by nurturing more idealistic and ambitious young talents. It is believed that participants, carrying the expectations and blessings of university leaders and teachers, will jointly write a new chapter for Mingde people as they stand firm in the times, integrate domestic and international perspectives, and look toward the future.
