The university social responsibility in the 21st century aims to contribute to the "sustainable development of the entire society". As a developed concept of imparting knowledge and educating people, the philosophy of education in the new era attaches great importance to the cultivation of long-term abilities of people, including: personality cultivation, critical analysis and creative thinking, empathy and spirit of mutual learning among civilizations, examining social issues from different angles, as well as multi-faceted understanding and looking at the increasingly globalized and technological world today. In recent years, the teaching practice of French as a second foreign language at Beijing Foreign Studies University, which aims at the social responsibility of the university, incorporates the educational concept of cultivating morality and integrating knowledge and action from many aspects in order to subtly cultivate students’ awareness of social responsibility and cultural literacy of mutual appreciation, enhance their critical analysis and multi-dimensional thinking ability, and stimulate their enthusiasm for learning to serve and contribute to the society. From the perspective of learning attitude, academic performance, concern for domestic and international events, and active participation in social welfare activities and practices, the overall quality of students is constantly improving. With some cases and experience in the author’s French teaching practice, this article tries to discuss how to integrate university social responsibility into the French teaching process, so as to foster excellence in students who meet the needs of sustainable social development.