Disciplines are the core elements of a university, and academic research is the source of university education. As a famous Chinese saying goes, to expect a tree to grow, one must strengthen its roots; to hope that a river runs far, one must dredge its source. The history of the School of Business Administration (SBA) of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL) can be traced back to 1949 when the Department of Factory Management and the Department of Trade were established at Zhongyuan University. During the development of more than 70 years, SBA has always placed discipline construction in a prominent position. Summarizing the achievements and experience of the school’s discipline construction is of great significance. It can help to accelerate the school’s “double first-class initiative”, gain support from teachers, students, and alumni, improve the school’s development blueprint in the new era, and achieve the school vision of “building a first-class business school integrating economics, law, and management”.

The establishment and development of a discipline are inseparable from the hard work and continuous contribution of scholars from generation to generation. Among them, there are founders who have overcome difficulties for the establishment of the discipline and pioneers who are fighting for the new development of the discipline. With the continuous work of these scholars, SBA has established a solid academic foundation. In order to carry forward the academic energy and further develop the school culture, SBA has decided to set up the Lifelong Achievement Award for Discipline Construction, which will be presented every five years.

The following professors have been awarded the first Lifelong Achievement Award for Discipline Construction: Professor Wu Yijun, Professor Yu Xinyan, Professor Ouyang Xuchu, Professor Li Xiaodan, and Professor Wan Houfen.