A bridge between Italy and China: the JiaoTong Alumni Association visits Politecnico

When the academic career comes to an end, it doesn’t mean abandoning what has been your second family for years. Apart from all the efforts to achieve your goals, students create a solid network that goes beyond the job career. They establish longstanding friendship that makes feel them part of a community. Community and networking are the mile stones of Alumni Associations worldwide which provide former students opportunities to keep alive the relationship with their former university.

On June 10^th at Castello del Valentino Politecnico hosted for the first time a delegation from JiaoTong University, from four different cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Chengdu. The JiaTong University delegation was represented by XING Xiaoqiang, Secretary-General, Education Foundation, Xian JiaoTong University (XJTU), YIN Chenglong, Section Chief, Donor Program Management Section, Education Foundation, XJTU, LIU Jie, Director, Liaison and Service Department, Shanghai JiaoTong University (SJTU), CHEN Fangxi, Section Chief, Propaganda and Development Department, Office of Alumni Association, SJTU, RUAN Bo, Deputy Director, Cooperative Development Office, South West JiaoTong University (SWJTU), LIU Mingyue, Vice Section Chief, Alumni Liaison Department, Cooperative Development Office, SWJTU, GUO Xuemeng, Director, External Liaison Office, Beijing JiaoTong University (BJTU), LI Wenyi, Section Chief, Alumni Section, External Liaison Office, BJTU.

The four JiaoTong Universities stand among the most prestigious in China which through the years built strong and enduring partnerships with Politecnico di Torino. The aim of JiaoTong delegation visit was to extend the collaborations both with PoliTO and deepen knowledge about other European experiences.

Michele Bonino, Director of the Department of Architecture and Design-DAD and Director of the PoliTO China Center, welcomed the delegation together with Stefano Sacchi, Vice Rettore per la Società, la Comunità e l'Attuazione del programma.

During the meeting, Marco Begani, Domain Expert for Relations with China, presented the activities of the PoliTO China Center, while Monica Fassetta, Responsabile dell’Ufficio Alumni, Sport e Relazioni con il territorio, provided an overview of how the PoliTO Alumni Association operates in Italy and China. in fact, given Politecnico's strong ties with the East, there is a dedicated branch of the association called the PoliTO China Alumni Association (PCAA). Luca Borsano, president of the PCAA, connected remotely, presented the activities of the PCAA and introduced a moment dedicated to new proposals and suggestions.

The close relationship between Politecnico and SJTU was demonstrated by the presence at the meeting of Huang Tao, professor at the "Galileo Ferraris" Department of Energy-DENERG of Politecnico and liaison between PoliTO and Chinese universities, Igor Stievano and Fabrizio Bonani, both professors at the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications-DET.

During the meeting, the importance of expanding the alumni network by organizing joint activities and events in China, Europe, and Italy was emphasized. All proposals were welcomed with enthusiasm and represent the desire to further strengthen the collaboration between JiaoTong University and Politecnico. This visit was the first step toward a long journey together to extend and strengthen the bridge between Italy and China.