Promoting the Establishment of Moral Education in Universities through Cultivating, Selecting, and Publicizing Advanced Models

Establishing moral education is the fundamental task of education and the foundation of a university’s existence. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must insist on taking the establishment of moral education as the central link, and integrate ideological and political work throughout the entire process of education and teaching.” [1]1 Xi Jinping, speech at a national conference on ideological and political work in colleges and universities, December 2016. How to explore and form effective practical pathways and long-term mechanisms to implement this fundamental task in detail is an important issue facing higher education. Systematically and scientifically advancing the cultivation, selection, and publicizing of advanced models for establishing moral education is not only a key measure for strengthening and improving ideological and political work in universities, but also an important means for deepening the “Three-Whole Education” (whole-staff education, whole-process education, all-round education) and enhancing the quality of talent cultivation. [2]2 “Three-Whole Education” (三全育人) is a policy framework in Chinese higher education that calls for all staff, throughout the entire educational process, and across all aspects of campus life to participate in moral and political education. It holds profound strategic significance for consolidating the spiritual foundation and cultivating new people for the era. Universities must consciously stand at the political height of educating people for the Party and cultivating talent for the country, with a high sense of responsibility and systematic thinking, deeply integrating this work into the entire process and all aspects of school governance and talent cultivation, so that the light of role models shines long and their power endures, gathering immense spiritual strength for cultivating new people for the era who are capable of shouldering the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

立德树人是教育的根本任务，是高校的立身之本。习近平总书记指出：“要坚持把立德树人作为中心环节，把思想政治工作贯穿教育教学全过程”。如何探索形成行之有效的实践路径与长效机制，将这一根本任务落细落实，是高等教育面临的重要课题。系统化、科学化推进立德树人先进典型培育、选树与宣传工作，不仅是加强和改进高校思想政治工作的关键举措，而且是深化“三全育人”（全员育人、全程育人、全方位育人）和提升人才培养质量的重要手段，对于筑牢精神之基、培育时代新人具有深远的战略意义。高校必须自觉站在为党育人、为国育才的政治高度，以高度的责任感与系统思维，将这项工作深度融入办学治校和人才培养全过程各环节，让榜样之光长亮、榜样之力永续，为培养担当民族复兴大任的时代新人汇聚磅礴的精神力量。

The work of cultivating, selecting, and publicizing advanced models is based on the dialectical relationship between people and the environment. It creates a good ideological and political education environment through advanced models, and in turn, a good ideological and political education environment further cultivates advanced models. It is rooted in the laws of education, the laws of ideological dissemination, and the laws of organizational behavior, possessing a profound theoretical foundation and practical inevitability. This is an inherent requirement for following the laws of education and promoting the comprehensive development of people. The goal of education is to cultivate socialist builders and successors who are developed comprehensively in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor. Cultivating and selecting advanced models helps to concretize the Party’s educational policy and the goal of becoming talented, providing teachers and students with “living teaching materials” that can be learned from and referenced through vivid deeds, effectively enhancing the appeal and persuasiveness of education. This is an effective way to run the “Grand Ideological and Political Course” well. [3]3 “Grand Ideological and Political Course” (大思政课) refers to an expanded approach to ideological and political education that integrates it into all courses, campus activities, and social practice, moving beyond the traditional standalone course. Advanced model education transcends one-dimensional theoretical indoctrination, skillfully integrating value guidance into narrative storytelling. By discovering and telling the stories of people and events around them, it enhances the emotional resonance and ideological identification of teachers and students, guiding them to consciously promote the internalization of thought and the transformation of behavior through observation and reflection, thereby enlightening the mind and nourishing the heart. This is a cultural engine for shaping an excellent school spirit and academic atmosphere, and for improving the quality and efficiency of university management. Advanced models epitomize the university spirit and educational philosophy. The process of cultivating, selecting, and publicizing advanced models is, in fact, a process in which universities actively cultivate and disseminate the campus spirit. It helps to build good teacher ethics, school spirit, and academic atmosphere, and has a fundamental and lasting impact on uniting people internally, shaping the image externally, and creating a campus ecology that advocates excellence and emulates the virtuous. This is a practical necessity for coping with the complex public opinion environment and consolidating and strengthening mainstream ideological public opinion. Currently, diverse social trends of thought are interwoven, and the mode of information dissemination is undergoing profound changes. Advanced models, with their authenticity and sense of closeness, can effectively bridge the distance between theory and reality, enhance ideological resonance and emotional identification, and provide solid support for cultivating and practicing the core socialist values.

先进典型培育、选树与宣传工作，立足人与环境的辩证关系，通过先进典型营造良好思政教育环境，又以良好思政教育环境进一步培育先进典型。它根植于教育规律、思想传播规律与组织行为规律，具有深刻的理论基础与实践必然性。这是遵循育人规律、促进人的全面发展的内在要求。教育的目标在于培养德智体美劳全面发展的社会主义建设者和接班人。培育选树先进典型，有助于将党的教育方针与成才目标具象化，以生动事迹为师生提供可学习借鉴的“鲜活教材”，有效增强教育的感染力与说服力。这是办好“大思政课”的有效途径。先进典型教育超越了单向度的理论灌输，将价值引领巧妙融入故事叙述，通过发掘和讲述身边人的身边事，增强师生的情感共鸣与思想认同，引导其在观察与思考中，自觉推动思想内化、行为转化，实现启智润心。这是塑造优良校风学风、提升高校管理质效的文化引擎。先进典型集中体现大学精神与教育理念。培育选树宣传先进典型的过程，实际上也是高校主动培育和传播校园精神的过程，有助于建设良好师德师风、校风学风，对于内聚人心、外树形象，营造崇尚卓越、见贤思齐的校园生态，具有基础性、持久性的影响。这是应对复杂舆论环境、巩固壮大主流思想舆论的现实需要。当前，社会思潮多元交织，信息传播方式发生深刻变革。先进典型具有真实性、亲近感，能够有效拉近理论与现实的距离，增强思想共鸣和情感认同，为培育和践行社会主义核心价值观提供坚实支撑。

To better advance the work of cultivating, selecting, and publicizing advanced models, it is necessary to clarify their functional positioning and continuously optimize practical pathways.

更好推进先进典型培育、选树与宣传工作，必须明晰功能定位，不断优化实践路径。

Clarify functional positioning, leveraging the multi-dimensional empowering effects of advanced models on establishing moral education. Systematically advancing the cultivation, selection, and publicizing of advanced models can comprehensively empower the practice of establishing moral education from multiple dimensions such as value guidance, cultural infiltration, environmental shaping, and radiating influence. At the level of value guidance, concretize the yardstick of “morality.” Advanced models are the personified carriers of mainstream values. They integrate the cultivation and practice of the core socialist values into daily learning, work, and life, vividly interpreting the value connotations of patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness through concrete actions, setting clear and tangible life examples for young students, and forcefully answering the fundamental question of “what kind of person to become.” At the level of cultural infiltration, expand educational pathways. The vitality of advanced models lies in the ability of their exemplary effect to run through the entire process of education and teaching. Their growth trajectories, struggles, and mental journeys can provide students with cognitive inspiration, emotional motivation, and behavioral demonstration, promoting the deepening of the educational process from one-way instruction to interactive inspiration and self-education, subtly shaping students’ behavior and character, and stimulating their endogenous motivation for growth. At the level of environmental shaping, cultivate a good “soil for growth.” Continuously cultivating, selecting, and publicizing advanced models is a positive way of building campus culture. It can continuously inject positive energy into campus culture, subtly optimize the school spirit, teaching style, and academic atmosphere, forming a strong atmosphere that advocates hard work and learning from advanced models. At the level of radiating influence, lead social trends. The influence of advanced models can transcend campus boundaries. The touching deeds of outstanding teachers, students, and alumni, widely disseminated in society, can vividly demonstrate the spiritual temperament and social contributions of universities, realizing the positive nourishment of university educational achievements on social culture, and effectively fulfilling the cultural mission of universities to serve society and lead trends.

明晰功能定位，发挥先进典型对立德树人的多维赋能效应。系统推进先进典型培育、选树与宣传工作，能够从价值引领、文化浸润、环境塑造、辐射影响等多维度，全面赋能立德树人实践。在价值引领层面，具象化“德”的标尺。先进典型是主流价值观的人格化承载。他们将培育和践行社会主义核心价值观融入日常学习、工作与生活，用具体行动生动诠释爱国、敬业、诚信、友善等价值内涵，为青年学生树立清晰、可感的人生榜样，有力回答“成为什么人”的根本问题。在文化浸润层面，拓展教育路径。先进典型的生命力在于其示范效应能够贯穿教育教学全过程。他们的成长轨迹、奋斗经历与心路历程，能为学生提供认知启发、情感激励和行为示范，推动育人过程从单向传授向互动启发与自我教育深化，潜移默化地塑造学生的行为和品格，激发学生成长的内生动力。在环境塑造层面，厚植优良“成长土壤”。持续培育、选树与宣传先进典型，是一种积极的校园文化建设方式。它能持续向校园文化注入正能量，潜移默化地优化校风、教风、学风，形成崇尚实干、学习先进的浓厚氛围。在辐射影响层面，引领社会风尚。先进典型的影响力能够超越校园边界。优秀师生、校友的感人事迹在社会广泛传播，能够生动展现高校的精神气质与社会贡献，实现高校育人成果对社会文化的正向滋养，切实履行高校服务社会、引领风尚的文化使命。

Optimize practical pathways, constructing an integrated long-term working mechanism of “selection, cultivation, publicity, and utilization.” The university Party committee should strengthen top-level design, deeply integrating the cultivation, selection, and publicizing of advanced models into the “Three-Whole Education,” and strive to build a long-term working mechanism for the coordinated linkage of “discovery, cultivation, publicity, and utilization.” Strengthen systematic planning, pooling work efforts. Adhere to and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, establishing and improving a working mechanism with unified leadership of the Party committee, coordination by the propaganda department, and coordinated linkage among other relevant departments and Party organizations of various colleges and departments. This can be incorporated as an important part of the assessment and evaluation of Party building and ideological and political work, ensuring effective integration of resources and implementation of responsibilities. Improve the selection mechanism, ensuring that models stand firm. Establish a hierarchical, categorized, and dynamically updated reserve pool of advanced models. Adhere to the equal emphasis on political standards and performance orientation, paying attention to the recognition of teachers and students. Strictly standardize procedures such as recommendation, investigation, review, and public announcement, ensuring that the selected advanced models have true deeds and outstanding representativeness, standing the test of time and practice. Innovate communication paradigms, enhancing appeal and leadership. Deeply study the laws of information dissemination in the all-media era, accurately grasp the psychological needs of young students. Comprehensively utilize various carriers such as newspapers, websites, terminals, microblogs, and screens, actively adopt various forms such as micro-interviews, immersive reporting, and literary and artistic creation, carry out interactive, narrative, and scene-based publicity, and strive to tell warm, profound, and resonant stories of role models, making advanced models approachable, respectable, and learnable. Improve long-term mechanisms, promoting sustainable development. Avoid the tendency of “valuing selection over cultivation, valuing commendation over care,” consolidate institutional guarantees for advanced models in terms of honor incentives, professional development, and life care, and build platforms for them to play a greater role. Encourage advanced models to participate in ideological and political theory course teaching, themed Party and League Day activities, freshman entrance education, etc., forming a virtuous cycle of “selecting one model, driving a group, influencing a generation,” allowing the light of role models to continuously illuminate the campus.

优化实践路径，构建“选育宣用”一体化的长效工作机制。高校党委应强化顶层设计，将先进典型培育、选树与宣传工作深度融入“三全育人”，着力构建“发现、培育、宣传、使用”协同联动的长效工作机制。加强系统谋划，凝聚工作合力。坚持和加强党的全面领导，建立健全党委统一领导、宣传部门牵头协调、其他相关部门及各院系党组织协同联动的工作机制。可将其作为党建与思想政治工作考核评价的重要内容，确保资源有效整合、责任落实到位。完善遴选机制，确保典型立得住。建立分层分类、动态更新的先进典型储备库。坚持政治标准与实绩导向并重，注重师生认可度。严格规范推荐、考察、评审、公示等程序，确保选树的先进典型事迹真实、代表性突出，经得起时间和实践的检验。创新传播范式，提升感染力引领力。深入研究全媒体时代信息传播规律，准确把握青年学生心理需求。综合运用报、网、端、微、屏等多种载体，积极采用微访谈、沉浸式报道、文艺创作等多种形式，开展互动式、叙事式、场景式宣传，着力讲好有温度、有深度、有共鸣的榜样故事，让先进典型可亲、可敬、可学。健全长效机制，促进可持续发展。避免“重选树轻培育、重表彰轻关爱”的倾向，夯实对先进典型在荣誉激励、专业发展、生活关怀等方面的机制保障，为其发挥更大作用搭建平台。鼓励先进典型参与思想政治理论课教学、主题党团日活动、新生入学教育等，形成“选树一个、带动一片、影响一代”的良性循环，让榜样之光持续照亮校园。

(The author is the Party Secretary of Xiangnan University)

（作者为湘南学院党委书记）