(XINHUA)

Li Peigen, former president of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, ended his nine-year tenure recently.

Li, 66, a member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the 1980s. As a popular president, he was given the nickname Uncle Gen by students, which he pleasantly accepted.

In his departure speech, he said he should have done more to nurture the university's academic atmosphere, improve students' education on citizenship and improve the payment and working conditions for faculty.