From August 1 to 9, a delegation from the Board of the RUC North America Alumni Association (RUC-NAAA)successfully completed a visit to Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
This marked the first time that RUC-NAAA had conducted an official exchange visit to the western regions of Canada and the United States. The visit aimed to further strengthen connections between RUC-NAAA and alumni organizations and alumni in different parts of North America, promote collaboration and exchange among alumni, and advance cooperation between the university and North American communities in education, academia, and industry.
During the visit, the delegation—including Dawson Lee, Chairman of RUC-NAAA, and Yafeng Wu, President of RUC-NAAA—held extensive discussions with local alumni organizations and alumni. The delegation gained a deeper understanding of the development of alumni organizations in each region and the challenges they face, while exploring ways to better leverage alumni resources and promote the sustainable development of alumni organizations.
First Stop: Vancouver
From August 1 to 4, the delegation visited the Vancouver area and received a warm welcome from the RUC Canada Alumni Association.
The Canadian alumni association attached great importance to the visit. Its board made extensive preparations and carefully organized a full schedule for the delegation, including a discussion at the Alumni Home, visits to alumni-owned businesses, visits with individual alumni, and alumni gatherings. The delegation also visited and learned about Vancouver's educational, business, industrial, and tourism resources.
On August 3, the delegation visited the Vancouver Alumni Home and attended a discussion session.
Xiao Nan, Chairman of the RUC Canada Alumni Association, welcomed the delegation on behalf of the association and expressed appreciation that Vancouver had been selected as the first stop of RUC-NAAA's first official exchange visit.
Dawson Lee explained the background and objectives of the visit and, on behalf of RUC-NAAA, thanked the Canadian alumni association for its thoughtful arrangements.
During the discussion, Li Xufeng, an RUC-NAAA Board Member and President of the RUC Canada Alumni Association, provided a detailed overview of the association's history and current development, reviewed several representative alumni activities in recent years, and expressed a strong desire to strengthen cooperation with RUC-NAAA.
Yafeng Wu also introduced the history, organizational structure, and core activities of RUC-NAAA, with particular emphasis on its flagship Mingde Forum, and expressed hope for greater support and participation from alumni.
Tian Tian, an RUC-NAAA Board Member and President of the Montreal Chapter who accompanied the delegation, also discussed with the Canadian alumni association the establishment and operation of an Alumni Home.
The Vancouver Alumni Home is the first dedicated Alumni Home established by an RUC alumni organization overseas and has symbolic significance within the RUC alumni network. The Montreal Chapter of RUC-NAAA is also preparing to establish an Alumni Home locally. Once completed, it will become the second RUC Alumni Home in North America, complementing the Vancouver location.
Yafeng Wu said that the visit gave him a deep appreciation for the Canadian alumni association's strong leadership, well-organized operations, and effective execution. He said he had also witnessed firsthand the remarkable depth of talent among RUC alumni in Vancouver, as well as their strong sense of community and enthusiasm for public service. The experience further strengthened RUC-NAAA's determination to enhance alumni connections and deepen cooperation among alumni organizations.
Xiao Nan said that the RUC Canada Alumni Association was willing to work with RUC-NAAA as a central platform to bring together alumni, strengthen connections among them, and help alumni feel the warmth and spirit of their alma mater even while living abroad. He expressed hope that alumni could support one another and share the joys of life together.
Second Stop: Seattle
On August 5, Dawson Lee, Yafeng Wu, and Li Xufeng visited Seattle and met with local RUC alumni to discuss ways to engage alumni and build a platform that could bring RUC alumni together in the Pacific Northwest.
Feng Xuejiao, Vice President of RUC-NAAA and Director of Communications, along with others, participated in the discussion.
During the meeting, Yafeng Wu used the development of alumni organizations across North America as an example to introduce three different organizational models. He suggested that Seattle alumni first focus on increasing activity in the alumni WeChat group, strengthening communication and interaction among alumni, and increasing the frequency of in-person activities.
The next step would be to bring together alumni who have both the ability and enthusiasm to contribute, establish a relatively stable core team through regular activities, and then, based on local circumstances, select an alumni-organization model that best suits Seattle.
Li Xufeng noted that Seattle has a deep pool of talented RUC alumni and abundant alumni resources, providing a strong foundation for establishing an alumni organization.
He also pointed out that Vancouver and Seattle are geographically close and maintain close commercial ties and frequent people-to-people exchanges. The RUC Canada Alumni Association is willing to actively create opportunities for communication and mutual learning with alumni in Seattle.
Third Stop: San Francisco
From August 6 to 7, the delegation visited the San Francisco Bay Area and received a warm welcome from the local alumni association.
Lou Tianchun, an RUC-NAAA Board Member and former President of the Bay Area Alumni Association, hosted a dinner for the delegation. Yao Wanting, Secretary-General of the Bay Area Alumni Association; Ren Ruijing, Assistant to the President of RUC-NAAA; and several active local alumni also attended the gathering.
Lou Tianchun welcomed the delegation on behalf of the Bay Area Alumni Association and shared updates on local alumni and some of their recent achievements.
Dawson Lee and Yafeng Wu introduced the purpose of the West Coast visit and shared what they had learned from the previous stops. They expressed their hope of working closely with the Bay Area Alumni Association to better connect with alumni resources in Northern California, leverage the region's distinctive strengths across industries, and further expand the depth and breadth of alumni activities.
Yao Wanting expressed strong enthusiasm for deepening cooperation and coordination with RUC-NAAA and jointly organizing a wider range of activities.
During the gathering, participants also reminisced about their interactions with Sun Xiaoguang, a senior RUC alumnus, and expressed their sorrow and condolences following his passing.
Fourth Stop: Los Angeles
On August 9, the delegation visited Los Angeles and held a dinner with the Southern California RUC Alumni Association. Ye Chun, President of the Southern California Alumni Association, along with several members of its board and management team, attended.
During the dinner, participants shared memories of their years studying at their alma mater and their experiences building careers and lives in North America. Their similar backgrounds and experiences quickly brought everyone closer.
Ye Chun said that alumni who share the same alma mater feel an immediate sense of familiarity when meeting thousands of miles from home. He emphasized the importance of coming together, supporting one another, and moving forward together. He welcomed RUC-NAAA to visit Southern California regularly, strengthen cooperation, and contribute jointly to the development of the alumni community.
Los Angeles is not only one of the gateways connecting North America, but also an important gateway for commercial and people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. It is home to a large Chinese immigrant community.
Ye Chun and others introduced the region's local culture, economic conditions, industry characteristics, Chinese American community, and the overall situation of RUC alumni in Southern California.
Yafeng Wu shared the delegation's key takeaways from the West Coast visit and expressed his hope that the Southern California alumni association would integrate high-quality alumni resources, leverage its role as a gateway, and become one of the important platforms connecting China and the United States and facilitating the exchange of alumni resources and opportunities.
Strengthening Connections Across North America
The nine-day, four-city visit was a great success. It strengthened the bonds among RUC alumni, brought RUC-NAAA closer to alumni organizations in different regions, and laid a solid foundation for broader cooperation in the future.
Dawson Lee said that the visit helped strengthen personal connections, deepen the delegation's understanding of the West Coast, and provide a more concrete picture of the development of alumni organizations in all four cities.
At the same time, the visit demonstrated the openness, professionalism, and vitality of RUC-NAAA to alumni in different regions. He said this would help bring alumni organizations across North America together and ultimately build an alumni platform covering the entire region.
He also expressed his hope that alumni in different cities would visit one another more frequently and welcomed alumni from across North America to visit RUC-NAAA and its local chapters.
Yafeng Wu said that, according to RUC-NAAA's plan, the association aims to visit all major RUC alumni organizations and cities with significant concentrations of alumni across North America during the current three-year term of the Board.
The goal is to strengthen communication and interaction through face-to-face exchanges. He said the successful West Coast visit was an excellent start to that effort.
RUC-NAAA will continue to build bridges connecting alumni with their alma mater, alumni with society, and alumni with one another, while promoting deeper cooperation and exchange across different sectors and working together to advance the development of the RUC alumni community.
