
On November 20, a delegation including Bruce Weber, a member of the President's Cabinet and dean of the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY), visited the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE). Vice President Li Zhisheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, welcomed the guests at the VIP Hall of Tengxiang Building. During the meeting, Li extended a warm welcome and shared SWUFE's recent advancements in discipline construction, talent development, and international exchanges. He highlighted SWUFE's key initiatives and notable achievements in the New Finance strategy that drives high-quality growth, emphasizing its commitment to the Deep Opening-Up strategy aimed at enhancing international collaboration. Baruch College has become a vital partner in SWUFE's global strategic framework. Li recognized Baruch College as a vital partner in SWUFE's global strategy, citing the remarkable success of the joint accounting program between the two institutions over the past decade. He expressed hope for expanded collaboration in areas such as faculty exchanges, talent cultivation strategies, joint doctoral training, artificial intelligence (AI) courses, and enhanced academic and talent development initiatives.
Bruce Weber expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and provided an overview of recent developments at Baruch College. He praised the joint accounting program for its steady development and outstanding student achievements at Baruch College, underscoring its high-quality talent cultivation. Weber reaffirmed Baruch's dedication to educational excellence and international collaboration, emphasizing the strategic importance of its partnership with SWUFE. He noted both institutions' robust accounting foundation and strong industry connections, expressing optimism about future joint initiatives. Weber underscored the longstanding friendship between the two institutions, which has created opportunities for students in both countries, expressing hope for continued cooperation and mutual growth.
During his visit, Weber also met with Dean Tang Xuesong, Vice Dean Yi Yang, and the management of the joint accounting program at the School of Accounting (SOA), SWUFE. They reviewed the achievements of their respective institutions in recent years and the successes of their joint program. They engaged in detailed discussions on optimizing the program. Both sides expressed their shared vision to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes in education and research.
Following the meeting, Weber delivered a lecture at the Cheng Zheng Building for students enrolled in the program. He detailed the diverse student backgrounds, strong faculty resources, extensive range of majors, and promising development prospects at the Zicklin School of Business. Weber emphasized these advantages as valuable opportunities for students to expand their international perspectives and enhance their overall capabilities. Additionally, he shared insights from his research in fintech, AI, and financial education, especially research on improving market trading efficiency, introducing his professional publications and theories of market structure. He encouraged students to leverage university resources in their studies to achieve their growth goals and contribute to the ongoing efforts to enhance market trading efficiency.
This visit solidified mutual confidence in collaborative development and consolidated the foundation for future partnerships. SWUFE and CUNY Baruch College will continue to explore new avenues for educational innovation and international collaboration, nurturing professionals with global perspectives, and thereby contributing to the advancement of global education.