Recently, the OUC Academic Affairs Department received a pennant and a thank-you letter from an alumnus of its Liaoning branch, which had been forwarded by the Student Admissions and Affairs Department of the branch. They were from Xu Shengnan in heartfelt gratitude to those whose efforts had helped her verify her qualifications and gain employment.

Xu graduated in 2011 from the Tourism Management programme of the School of Open Education at the OUC’s Liaoning branch. About to be hired, her employer required her to submit her university qualifications, but on 29 April 2022, less than 10 days before the deadline, she learned that her degree information was untraceable on China Higher Education Student Information (CHSI), the authority for such verifications. Burning with anxiety, she contacted the School of Open Education at the branch; when her situation was reported to the Department of Admissions and Student Affairs, a solution was immediately found by its staff, and she was told which materials she needed to submit to unblock her verification. The Student Status Management Section of the OUC headquarters was also informed of Xu’s problem, and its staff reviewed Xu’s materials as soon as they received them, and removed the block on her qualifications, which she was then able to submit to her employer on time.

Xu wrote in her letter: “The OUC not only helped me realise my dream of attending college, but also puts its students first, and gives us substantial help.” The OUC's ideal is to be student-centred, and the Academic Affairs Department takes student satisfactions as its mission and responsibility, dealing with the issues of concern to them. This pennant and letter show that it is true to this ideal.

By Xiao Bin, OUC