On May 22, the Opening Ceremony for Cohort 24 of the Fudan University-Washington University EMBA Program was held at the Zhengli Campus of Fudan University School of Management. Professor Mike Mazzeo, Dean of Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, Professor Feng Tianjun, Assistant Dean of Fudan University School of Management, Associate Professor Zhao Minyuan, Academic Director of the Fudan University-Washington University EMBA Program, and Dr. Zou Deqiang from the Department of Marketing of Fudan University School of Management attended the ceremony together with alumni and student representatives, alongside the new students of Cohort 24. Shao Bo, Program Director of the Fudan University-Washington University EMBA Program, served as the host of the opening ceremony.
Since its founding in 2002, the Fudan University-Washington University EMBA Program has remained committed to cultivating international business leaders with both global vision and China insights. It claimed the top spot worldwide in the 2025 Financial Times (FT) Global EMBA Ranking. As the academic journey of Cohort 24 new students officially commences, faculty from both Chinese and overseas sides, together with alumni and student representatives, shared their reflections on upholding systematic management education in the AI era, and extended sincere blessings and expectations to the new cohort.
Professor Mike Mazzeo, Dean of Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, first spoke on behalf of both universities to thank the new students for entrusting this unknown journey to the Program. He reflected on the Program’s 24 years of rich heritage and drew on the diverse combinations embodied by the number “24” as a metaphor for the students’ complementary backgrounds and mindsets. Over the next 18 months of study, each student will form an optimal “combination” with peers from varied backgrounds, inspiring one another and growing together. He encouraged the students to cherish their camaraderie, build collective strength, transform themselves throughout their studies, and shape the future with outstanding leadership.
Professor Feng Tianjun, Assistant Dean of Fudan University School of Management, extended his warmest welcome to Cohort 24 new students on behalf of the School. He highly commended their decision to return to campus and pursue lifelong learning amid successful careers and fulfilling family lives — a choice that reflects their admirable quality of stepping out of comfort zones and their disciplined, enterprising spirit. He shared earnest expectations for the new cohort: stay true to their original aspirations, fuel personal growth through self-motivation, hone leadership capabilities, and boldly embrace the unknown and challenges. He also urged them to preserve human empathy in the AI era and uphold genuine human connections.
Associate Professor Zhao Minyuan, Academic Director of the Fudan University -Washington University EMBA Program and Associate Professor of Strategy at Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, noted that while the AI era evolves at a breathtaking pace, the value of human empathy, leadership and organizational collaboration remains constant. She pointed out that infrastructure such as data centers, chip production capacity and global supply chain coordination directly determines the operational efficiency of AI. The Program’s rich portfolio of management courses will equip students with highly valuable systematic insights. At the same time, no matter how powerful technology becomes, it cannot replace community bonds and genuine passion. She encouraged the new students to embrace curiosity and sincerity, forge ahead with conviction amid uncertainty, support and grow alongside one another, and gain new knowledge and strength throughout their academic journey
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Dr. Zou Deqiang from the Department of Marketing at Fudan University School of Management delivered a thought-provoking speech. He argued that while AI can generate answers rapidly, it tends to lead to homogenization and “cognitive surrender”. Drawing on experiments about “GenAI barriers”, he illustrated that AI only empowers those with foundational professional knowledge and cannot bridge vast cognitive gaps. The EMBA curriculum is precisely designed to help students surmount such barriers. From statistical models to the principles of logistic regression, from theoretical depth to empirical reasoning, the Program’s carefully designed training in foundational theories and methodologies will gradually equip students with the ability to judge the quality of AI outputs. He encouraged students to embrace systematic EMBA education, harness AI with critical thinking, and transform it from a mere “search engine” into a true “research engine”, so as to build irreplaceable differentiated competitive advantages in the AI era.
Paul Shao, Program Director of the Fudan University - Washington University EMBA Program, introduced the profile of Cohort 24 new students. Cohort 24 boasts a broad spectrum of industry backgrounds and outstanding professional credentials. Its international students hail from five countries and regions across three continents, lending the cohort a distinct international character. Most students bring extensive management experience; 15% hold positions at Vice President level or above, and 26% are company founders or partners. Compared with previous cohorts, Cohort 24 includes more students from local Chinese enterprises.
He noted that uniquely human strengths such as transformative leadership, cross-cultural strategy, and empathetic collaboration sit at the heart of the Program’s education mission. AI cannot supply answers for what lies ahead; only managers learning side by side and exploring together can do so. He emphasized that the value of EMBA coursework lies not in obtaining ready-made answers, but in learning to ask critical questions. He looks forward to seeing Cohort 24 new students co-create and learn from one another along their academic journey, building extraordinary futures.
At the ceremony, Dean Mike Mazzeo and Professor Feng Tianjun presented the Fudan University badge and the Washington University in St. Louis badge respectively to Wu Xueqin, student representative of Cohort 24.
Subsequently, Wu Xueqin delivered a speech on behalf of all new students of Cohort 24. Like her peers, she returned to campus with the original aspiration for growth, hoping to transition from a specialized professional to a well-rounded manager. She believes that the core of leadership lies in empowering collaboration, the essence of innovation is to create sustainable value, and managers must first master self-leadership. She looks forward to learning and progressing alongside her classmates, applying insights gained from the Program to her professional practice, and generating greater value for their respective industries and society.
Wu Kaikai from Cohort 22, speaking as the alumni representative, congratulated Cohort 24 new students on joining the Program and embarking on this brand-new journey.
Drawing from his own learning experience, he shared several practical suggestions, encouraging the new cohort to take things step by step, stay open and inclusive, and complete their coursework solidly. He reminded everyone to cherish peer camaraderie and build long-lasting connections, and wished them a one-of-a-kind, lifelong-rewarding EMBA learning experience.
Subsequently, Zhang Ruyin, student representative of Cohort 23, passed the program flag to Jiao Chuanqi, student representative of Cohort 24. The flag handover symbolizes the official enrollment of Cohort 24 into the Fudan-Washington University EMBA community and inherits the program’s 24-year spiritual essence of integrating Eastern and Western wisdom and advancing alongside outstanding peers.
The opening ceremony vividly embodies the core mission of the Fudan-Washington University EMBA Program: to cultivate transformative leaders with critical thinking, systematic management capabilities and humanistic care amid the AI revolution and complex global shifts. Over the next 18 months, Cohort 24 students will bridge Eastern and Western cultures. Under the meticulous guidance of faculty from the two top-tier universities, they will continuously examine and reshape their management cognition from diverse perspectives.
Congratulations to Cohort 24 on embarking on this rewarding intellectual journey. We look forward to your extraordinary achievements in the days ahead!