The Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) recently held its Spring Semester Assembly combined with the 2025 Recognition and Award Ceremony on March 20th, 2026. The event reviewed SAIF’s achievements over the past year, recognized outstanding individuals and presented service awards to faculty and staff marking their 5th, 10th, and 15th anniversaries with SAIF.
CPC SAIF Committee Secretary Xinan Zhang addressed the gathering, with Executive Dean Shijun Cheng delivering concluding remarks.
Recognition of Excellence
The ceremony honored individuals who demonstrated exceptional performance across various domains including admissions, curriculum development, research, operations, ideological education, and alumni services. The following awards were presented:
Outstanding Supervisor Award: Ying Tong;
Outstanding Ideological and Political Worker Award: Xuankai Feng;
Gratitude Card: Yan Ren;
Outstanding Supervisor Nomination Award: Yalin Liu, Jing Jiang;
and a total of 18 individuals, including Yun Chen, received the Outstanding Staff Award.
Honoring Dedication and Loyalty
In recognition of sustained commitment to SAIF’s growth, SAIF presented Long-Service Awards to faculty and staff members. The honorees included:
5-Year Professor Service Award: Bingbing Dong, and 4 other professors;
10-Year Professor Service Award: Professor Feng Li;
15-Year Professor Service Award: Professor Songnan Chen, Professor Chun Chang;
5-Year Staff Service Award: Kewei Shang, and 3 other staff members;
10-Year Staff Service Award: Xi Chen, and 6 other staff members;
15-Year Staff Service Award: Xiaodong Jiang, and 4 other staff members.
This year, SAIF introduced two new awards: the Service Contribution Award, and the Most Improved Award, recognizing individuals who demonstrated diligence and dedication as well as outstanding cross-departmental communication and teamwork. Lei Chen and three others received the Service Contribution Award, while Bingnan Ni and three others were honored with the Most Improved Award.
Strategic Vision for the Future
In his address, Xinan Zhang noted that SJTU has improved across the board, ranking among the world’s top universities with strong research output. SJTU’s 12th Party Congress places “student-centered education” as the top priority, setting higher demands on SAIF in talent cultivation, faculty development, academic research, and think tank building.
He also emphasized that at the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan and ahead of SJTU’s 130th anniversary, SAIF must deepen interdisciplinary integration, launch new programs, and recruit high-level talent to support national financial strength. He called on all staff to contribute SAIF’s strength to the nation’s financial goal, to Shanghai’s development as an international financial center, and to SJTU’s pursuit of becoming a world-class university with renewed vigor.
Professor Cheng congratulated the award winners and thanked all staff. He noted that 2026 is a critical and promising year for SAIF, which is bolstered by support from the nation, the city, and SJTU’s support, while facing higher demands and multiple challenges from the external environment and tech transformation.
SAIF must pursue “upholding integrity while embracing innovation,” making transformation the annual priority. Focusing on top faculty, research, and facilities, and with all staff driving transformation across every domain, SAIF will strive for high-quality development.
