Dear teachers, students, schoolfellows and friends,

The time is like a wheel, and it goes on and on, and the footsteps of time once again move towards a beautiful moment to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. On behalf of the Party Committee and the administration team of the School, we would like to extend our sincere New Year greetings and best wishes to all faculty and staff, to retired comrades, to schoolfellows at home and abroad, and friends from all walks of life who have supported the development of the School!

Time pays off those who have a heart, and the stars pay off those who go on their way. In the past year of 2023, the whole School worked together in the same direction, with high-quality development as the guide and the pursuit of excellence as the goal. All undertakings have made gratifying achievements, the comprehensive strength and core competitiveness of disciplines have been continuously improved, and reaches the 10th in the QS World University Rankings!

This year, we led the high-quality development of the School with high-quality CPC building. In-depth study and implementation of the theme education of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and unite a powerful force to promote the high-quality development of the School. In-depth study of the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important reply, learn from the majestic power of forging ahead. We won the title of 2022-2023 Wuhan University Noble Character, the 14th Wuhan University "Good Tutor in My Mind", Wuhan University Outstanding Youth, and was approved as a Hubei Provincial College Model CPC Branch for Graduate Students, Model CPC Member of Graduate Students, Wuhan University Model CPC Branch.

This year, we fully implemented the fundamental task of fostering virtue through high-quality talents’ education. Insist on further promoting students' ideological and political education and value guidance, and won one national second prize in the 18th “Challenge Cup” National Undergraduate Curricular Academic Science and Technology Works by Race, one national special prize, one first prize and one second prize in the China National College Student "Innovation, Originality and Entrepreneurship" Challenge, two gold medals in the 9th China International College Students' "Internet +" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, one silver prize in the Hubei Youth Volunteer Service "Community Plan" Contest, and one National College Students' Volunteer Service Team for Rural Revitalization. Adhere to comprehensively improve the ability to actively cultivate talents, won the first prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award, newly-added three national first-tier courses and three provincial first-tier courses, and one teacher was selected as Chutian Master; Deepen the reform of cultivating top-notch innovative talents of graduate students, pay attention to the whole process management, and won one special prize of 2023 Wuhan University Graduate Students Academic Innovation Award, and one was selected as the 17th Top Ten Academic Stars of Wuhan University Graduate Students.

This year, we constantly improved the ability to serve high-level science and technology with self-reliance and self-improvement through high-quality scientific research. Strengthen the planning and incubation of organized scientific research management, and make a historic breakthrough of funds received for two consecutive years, and the number of major scientific research projects has increased rapidly. We have been approved for 1 National Key R&D Project, 1 sub-project of Sci-Tech Innovation 2030 Agenda of National Key R&D Project, 6 major projects, 2 general projects and 2 youth projects were in the funding list of the National Social Science Fund of China; 9 projects, including 1 major research plan incubation project, 1 international (regional) cooperation and exchange project, 5 general projects, 1 youth project and 1 special project, were in the funding list of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. We have published more than 10 books and textbooks, 297 CSSCI articles and 150 SSCI/SCI articles, including 36 articles in JCR I. Took the lead in publishing the report of Global Enterprise Innovation Index 2023 (GEII 2023) in Chinese and English, which was also marketed by Science website; Jointly published the report of Global Digital Economy Development Index 2023 (GDEDI 2023), which has had a wide impact. We actively serve the strategic needs of the country, more than 30 consulting reports were adopted by relevant government departments. National Key Laboratory of Archives Intelligent Development and Service has been listed in the first batch of key laboratories of the National Archives Bureau, Publishing Research Institute of Wuhan University was jointly established with the Publicity Department of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, and we were listed as National Research Center for Innovation and Development of Culture and Tourism by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and National General Education in Digital Literacy and Competence Training Base by the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission.

This year, we continued to enhance the comprehensive strength of teaching staff with high-quality work at high-level human resources. We have been continued to implement the strategy of “strengthening the School with talents”, adhere to both introduction and incubation, and strive to explore the high-level human resources road of “talents promote development, build peaks in the plateau”, and the number of high-level talents has reached a higher level as the followings: 2 teachers were in the list of national-level talent plan, 1 teacher was in the list of China Association for Science and Technology Young Talents Support Projects, 1 teacher was in the list of Hubei Province top-notch youth talent support program, 1 teacher was in the list of Hubei Province Chutian Program, and 1 teacher was awarded as Wuhan University Outstanding Youth in Liberal Arts. 1 teacher was promoted to second-level professor, 3 teachers were promoted to third-level professors, and 2 teachers were promoted to professors.

This year, we steadily expanded domestic cooperation and international exchanges with a high level of opening up. Strengthen in-depth cooperation with domestic well-known enterprises, make a historic breakthrough in donated funds and co-construction funds, and jointly build Wuhan University U-home Future Information Research Institute and Wuhan University China Security AI Research Institute. We have further deepened international exchanges, and held top international academic conferences including Dialogue and Mutual Learning: The Forum of Academic Publishing Going Global, Sub-forum of iConference2023, the 5th Chinese Digital Humanities Conference, etc. and invited well-known experts and scholars from the University of Copenhagen, Kent State University, iSchools, and etc. New progress has been made in the construction of international exchanges platform. 1 teacher was appointed as 2023 Open Science Ambassador by Wiley, 1 teacher was elected as ASIS&T SIG Cabinet Director, and the French-China Digital Culture and Heritage Research Center was jointly established. The heads of the School led teams to “go global”, and went to world-class universities such as Tsukuba University in Japan and Sungkyunkwan University in Korea to carry out exchange activities.

Looking back on the past year, each day of struggling was wonderful, and each faculty and staff was worthy of praise. We extend our most sincere respect and heartfelt gratitude to all SIMers and friends who care about and support the construction and development of the School!

Teachers, students, schoolfellows and friends! The new year carries new hopes. The year 2024 is a crucial year to realize the objectives and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and it is the first year for Wuhan University to start a new endeavor journey at a new historical starting point. Let's take the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important reply as a guide, keep in mind President Xi Jinping’s earnest entrustment, always with the top priorities of the country, continue to work hard, practise excellent skills, bravely climb the scientific peak, strive to build a world-class comprehensive research-oriented information management school, greater contributions to realizing high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and building a powerful country in education, science and technology and talents, and comprehensively promoting Chinese modernization!

We sincerely wish you all a happy, healthy and safe, and successful New Year!

Xingrong Fu, CPC Secretary of the School of Information Management, Wuhan University

Wei Lu, Dean of the School of Information Management, Wuhan University

December 31, 2023