A group of prospective students visited campus for Admitted Students Weekend from April 24 to 26. Sixteen admitted students and their family members from nine countries came to NYU Shanghai for a first-hand look at student life and campus community in one of the most exciting cities in the world.

• Over 40 NYU, NYU Shanghai, and NYU Abu Dhabi alumni of the prestigious Schwarzman Scholars Program gathered last week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program, coinciding with Tsinghua University's 115th anniversary. Over the past decade, 11 NYU Shanghai students have been selected for the Schwarzman Scholars, a one-year, fully funded master's program in global affairs at Tsinghua University, one of the world's top universities. The NYU Alumni Club in Beijing hosted a brunch to reconnect with fellow NYU alums, share their achievements, and reflect on the positive impact the alumni community continues to make around the world. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students David Pe traveled to Beijing to join the celebration.

• The NYU Alumni Executive Mentor Program concluded its first phase with a well attended Year-End Event with over 70 alumni mentors and students last Saturday. Launched in 2014, it has served over 400 mentees and 60 mentors across 10 industries, empowering 11% of the NYU Shanghai alumni community. Provost Bei Wu attended the event and delivered remarks in recognition of the program’s achievements. Now the program will enter into a second phase, with a goal of engaging 160 students and alumni mentors and introducing the Violet Network, an online platform connecting students and alumni. 

• Over the weekend, our campus buzzed with activity at the Spatial Shanghai 2026: 24-Hour Agentic Engineering Hackathon, organized by the Library. The intercollegiate, interdisciplinary sprint propelled 70 global builders using world-leading AI agents, fueled by unlimited pizza and bottomless coffee, a midnight glamping retreat, and a 2am DJ set. Team "Van-der-View" won top prize for a platform that uses 3D manipulation and AI to provide real-time feedback on drug binding, revolutionizing pharmaceutical discovery and education. The hackathon was born out of a student gathering in the Library's XR Space three years ago and has grown into an exciting event attracting creators from 24 universities and supported by local industry sponsors.  

• The inaugural Dialogues with Executives Series panel session organized by the Staff Council Professional Development Committee brought together senior administrators from diverse professional backgrounds to share insights and practical strategies on effective communication with supervisors with the NYU Shanghai community. Drawing on past experiences across public, corporate, and global contexts, the panelists highlighted the importance of clear, proactive, and thoughtful communication, especially in navigating priorities, managing challenges, and building trust. Following the panel, participants engaged in small-group breakout discussions with speakers, where they asked follow-up questions, shared personal experiences, and explored real-life scenarios in a more interactive setting.

•  Assistant Professor of Marketing Wendy Lim’s students recently participated in two unique opportunities.  Students from her Advertising Management course visited The Linden Centre in Hangzhou for an immersive field visit to a boutique hospitality group. As part of the course, students are developing advertising campaigns to attract Chinese and international tourists. Her Global Marketing Strategy students joined a guest session with the founder of Soldy—an AI-powered video agent platform. They explored how AI is reshaping global marketing and talked directly with a founder in the AI space to learn how brands are rethinking creative production in practice.

“Korea and China are now entering a new era defined not only by challenges but by immense opportunities. If we can work together to build peace in the region, drive innovation, and create culture and value, then we can shape not only the future of Asia but the whole world. The future lies in your hands.”

—  Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to China Ro Jae-hun, speaking on The New Era of Korea–China Relations: Cooperation in Innovation, Culture, and Peace

On Monday, newly-designed tree markers were installed throughout campus to share botanical knowledge. The launch was the culmination of a year-long project led by IMA seniors (from left to right) Rachel Duan, Chen Yingfan, and Zhu Ziyi to encourage our community to connect with nature in a new way. Scan the QR code on the signs and you’ll hear the trees introduce themselves, as voiced by NYU Shanghai community members Lisa Feng, Sarah Ji, Lesley Zhang, Kenney Zhu, Ashley Shi, Tannia Xia, Megan Yan, Coco Jing ’29, Towako Hiramatsu, Cai Jiaxi ’29, Zain Amro ’28, Shae Cheng ’29, Erica Mukherjee, Xiaoai Lyu, Shelley Xie, Theodore Tolan ’26, Yuan Yanyue, Hajar Makhchan ’28, and Jael Han ’29.

• Shanghai Students Urged to See 'Both Sides' of the World

City News Service reported that Chancellor Tong Shijun addressed nearly 200 teachers and students at the launch of the Link·SH lecture series, aimed at helping local and expat students navigate different cultures.

• GBAI Media Workshop Held in Beijing 

Phoenix New Media reported on the Greater Bay Area Institute for AI Applications Research media workshop, where Dean of Business Chen Yuxin spoke about how AI is restructuring business frameworks and reshaping industrial connections and consumer behaviors.

• NYU Shanghai Hosts Spatial Shanghai 2026

The Paper reported on the NYU Shanghai’s annual 24-hour hackathon, drawing over 70 students from top universities in China and the world over the weekend to develop interactive 3D spatial products.