Recruitment

The original meaning of the word "professor" is to teach and educate people, and to impart knowledge and skills.

Modern professors have two functional identities: teacher and scholar.

Previously, many professors spent more than half of their energy on projects, securing funding, publishing papers, and building networks, while their teaching of students, especially undergraduates, was perfunctory.

With the introduction of new regulations, professors are no longer allowed to be perfunctory with their students. They must genuinely love their students and truly fulfill their duties of imparting knowledge, teaching skills, and resolving doubts.

In fact, many professors prioritize research over teaching, but this is often out of necessity. They have to complete the mandatory research tasks assigned by their superiors on time.

If professors are not given rigid research tasks, most would still be willing to become teachers of synthesis, cultivating reserve talents for the country in various fields.

Being a teacher is fulfilling and rewarding, and you are respected. Moreover, the teaching process allows professors to organize their professional thoughts, which is conducive to conducting more in-depth and comprehensive research in their field.

Shen Qi really enjoys being a teacher. After completing this excellent course, he gained a deeper understanding and new ideas about mathematics and physics, the Riemann Hypothesis and the distribution of prime numbers, high-dimensional physics and M-theory.

A group of eager-to-learn freshmen surrounded Shen Qi, asking him all sorts of questions, from basic to wildly imaginative ones.

Shen Qi couldn't possibly answer every student's question in detail. Princeton's approach was to use a tutorial system, where assistant professors would answer students' questions and reinforce relevant knowledge points after class.

Chinese universities do not have a mentorship system, so students usually have to figure out their academic problems on their own.

What if I have poor comprehension and can't figure it out?

There's nothing we can do about that; learning requires both diligence and talent.

Shen Qi selected a few typical questions to answer the students, but this could not resolve all of their confusion.

Shen Qi considered holding a Q&A session after class, but this wasn't a fundamental solution, given Shen Qi limited time.

So Shen Qi had an idea: to recruit a PhD student in mathematics from within Yenching University.

Shortly after this news broke, a pile of resumes appeared on Shen Qi's desk, all from master's students in the School of the Big Mathematics Department.

Shen Qi began the preliminary selection.

"Advanced Algebra 100, Mathematical Analysis 82, Number Theory 99, Complex Analysis 72... This student is very strong in some courses, but also has obvious weaknesses."

"Advanced Algebra 92, Mathematical Analysis 88, Analytic Geometry 95, Number Theory 90, Mathematical Physics Methods 89, Algebraic Geometry 87... This student is very well-rounded, I'd pick them."

Shen Qi's initial selection criteria were based on the students' grades in various professional courses during their undergraduate and master's studies.

Shen Qi excluded students who scored perfect marks in some courses and only in the seventies in others.

They were all excellent students, well-rounded, and Shen Qi chose them.

Five master's students made it to the final competition stage, and Shen Qi summoned them to the center for interviews.

Five students—four men and one woman—stood in a row in front of Shen Qi, all looking excited and expectant. One of them would become Shen Qi's doctoral student.

The significance of being able to pursue a doctorate under Shen Qi is undeniable for the five students.

Shen Qi said with a smile, "Hello everyone, please give a brief self-introduction first."

The tallest boy introduced himself first, "Hello Professor Shen, my name is Chen Tao, I come from Northeast China, my master's supervisor is Professor Fu Yabo, my master's major is Real Analysis, and I have completed my master's thesis. I hope to pursue my doctorate under Professor Shen."

Shen Qi nodded and said, "Hmm, not bad, next one."

The only female student said, "Hello Professor Shen, my name is Tao Ya, and I'm from Chenzhou..."

The other three boys introduced themselves, "My name is Cao Quan, and I'm from Jingmen..."

"My Liu Weikun, and I'm from Mianyang..."

"My Wu Shangfeng, and I'm from Dezhou..."

Shen Qi maintained his smile, "Not bad, not bad. You all come from all over the country, you are all outstanding. Have you all joined the Party? Party members, please raise your hands."

Four students raised their hands; they were Party members.

Only Wu Shangfeng, a student from Dezhou, did not raise his hand.

Shen Qi looked at Wu Shangfeng and asked, "Is Wu's hometown Texas?"

Xiao Wu shook his head repeatedly. "No, no, Professor Shen is joking. My Dezhou is Dezhou, China. I'm not American."

Shen Qi then asked, "Why don't you join the Party?"

Xiao Wu explained, "My whole family believes in Buddhism, and I also believe in Buddhism."

"I understand, so you're a Buddhist." Shen Qi respected Xiao Wu's religious beliefs. A staunch communist is an atheist, and Xiao Wu's conversion to Buddhism is a matter of his freedom of belief, which is perfectly normal.

"Let me explain my thoughts. The doctoral student I'm recruiting this time won't be doing any research projects for the first two years. Instead, this doctoral student will only be doing one thing: tutoring undergraduate students after class and answering their questions. You can understand this as a position similar to a teaching assistant."

"Two years from now, this doctoral student will be working on a project with me, so it will take you more than five years to obtain your doctoral degree. So, are you willing to pursue your doctorate with me?" Shen Qi brought up a sensitive topic, observing the expressions of the five students.

"Huh? You didn't do any projects the past two years?" Tao Ya seemed surprised.

"Tutoring undergraduates?" Chen Tao felt this was a waste of time. Two years of his youth were being wasted on tutoring undergraduates; he couldn't afford to squander it.

Most master's students naturally want to follow a renowned Doctoral Supervisor, participate in a major research project immediately during their doctoral studies, obtain their doctoral degree as soon as possible, and enter the core circle of academia.

Even if everything goes smoothly, I'll be almost 30 when I graduate with my doctorate.

If doctoral students do not conduct research projects in their first two years, their graduation will definitely be delayed.

"How about this: for the first two years, we'll both mentor undergraduate students and work on projects with Professor Shen. We don't mind working a little harder, we can handle it," Liu Weikun suggested as a compromise.

"Oh, so that's what you think," Shen Qi said with a smile, neither confirming nor denying.

Only Wu Shangfeng, a Buddhist disciple, remained silent. Shen Qi asked Wu Shangfeng, "Little Wu, why don't you say a few words?"

Wu Shangfeng said sincerely, "We all started as undergraduates. When I was an undergraduate, the professors would disappear after class, and the teaching assistants didn't care about anything. When I encountered problems I didn't understand, I really didn't know who to ask for help. I could only go to the library to look up information and solve the problems myself through self-study. I think undergraduates, especially first- and second-year students, really need someone to answer their questions after class. I am willing to accept the two-year tutoring job that Professor Shen mentioned."