To avoid crowds and the scorching weather, a commencement ceremony was, for the first time, held outdoors in the evening, and was broadcast live on multiple platforms until late. University Heads turned the tassel (a graduation tradition) for each student at the graduation ceremony, which lasted more than three hours. President CHEN Jie sang a heartfelt song “Farewell”, together with the graduates, to bid them farewell. At about 5:30 p.m. on July 1, the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the Tongji University Commencement Ceremony 2020 grandly opened at the129 Sportsground on the Siping campus with a theme of “Forge ahead, propelled by the ‘sail’ of our missions”. More than 3,300 graduates were present at the ceremony, while more than 6,500 attended proceedings via the Internet.
Present at the commencement were the following university leaders: FANG Shouen, CHEN Jie, WU Jiang, JIANG Changjun, WU Zhiqiang, XU Jianping, LV Peiming, WU Guangming, GU Xianglin, FANG Ping, FENG Shenhong, LEI Xinghui and CHEN Yihan. The ceremony was presided over by the executive vice president WU Jiang.
The graduation ceremony was opened by the national anthem. President CHEN Jie delivered a speech entitled “Sail forward, braving the robust wind and towering waves”. Firstly, on behalf of Tongji University and all the staff, he extended his heartfelt congratulations to the 3,887 bachelor’s degree graduates, 5,079 master’s degree graduates, and 856 doctor’s graduates. "During this special period,” the President noted, “we are holding a special commencement. On the Party’s birthday, we are jointly witnessing the important moment when nearly 10,000 Tongji students have completed their studies and are commencing a new journey in life. Affected by the pandemic, we have had a very special semester, which provides invaluable experience for every student who is about to commence on their career in society. During this period, we have experienced the contrast between a fragile life and an indomitable spirit, and gained a profound understanding of each individual’s responsibility to the nation and the public. In the fight against the pandemic, we have tempered our bodies and minds, gone through the twists and turns of life, taken necessary action, and therefore grown in wisdom. Our students should learn to connect historical experience with civilization’s heritage, integrate the spirit of science and rational thinking, and express our philosophy on life and outlook on the world.
President CHEN also pointed out that our students should strive to become the pillars of society and professional elites. As Tongji people, they should be ambitious and innovative, and be the backbone and mainstay of national rejuvenation! The graduation bell is about to ring, and students are leaving the campus to enter the “sea” of society. The Tongji new generation emerging in the New Era have inherited the historical roots of this century-old university and the destiny of the nation. With the nation engraved in our hearts, we Tongji graduates will engage in scientific and educational undertakings, and this is our eternal sentiment for the country and the family. It is Tongji people’s constant responsibility to stand bravely at the forefront of the tide and dare to be the vanguard of the times. As our students were about to begin a new chapter in their lives, President CHEN offered them four pieces of advice. Firstly, the global pandemic requires us to think calmly and act proactively. Secondly, the world is facing changes, which requires us to gain a deep insight and profound understanding of the world. Thirdly, the outside world is full of uncertainties, so we must seize opportunities and rise to challenges. Fourthly, to open a new chapter in life, we need to move forward with determination and composure.
Then President CHEN put forward three expectations for the graduates: First, students should always keep their mission in mind, and be courageous to assume responsibilities. They should adhere invariably to their ideals and beliefs, set lofty goals, be innovative and enterprising, calmly confront external challenges, and shoulder their responsibilities. Second, our students should have a broad mind and a wide vision. No matter what profession they are engaged in, they should be rigorous and serious, tolerant and open-minded in dealing with people, should uphold the spirit of collectivism, and should be keenly aware of the changing world, so that their future is closely linked to the fate of the country and the nation. Third, our students should remain undaunted despite repeated failures and be persistent. They should steel themselves in hard work during their youth, temper their will-power in perseverance, accurately judge opportunities and challenges, and be firm, persistent and indomitable, and let hard work and perseverance be the most glamourous backdrop of life! Finally, President CHEN concluded his speech with a popular phrase: “There is a kind of sweetness that is, we’ve graduated!”
Prof. YANG Guiqing from the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) delivered a speech as a faculty representative. WU Xudong, a bachelor’s degree graduate 2020 of the College of Civil Engineering (CCE), spoke on behalf of the graduates.
This year, 20 graduates from 14 colleges and schools, including CCE, CAUP, School of Economics and Management, College of Arts & Media, through the “open recruitment, voluntary application and merit-based selection” procedures, were chosen for the “22nd Youth Volunteers Poverty-Alleviation Relay Project” Graduate Student Voluntary Teaching Program and 2020 Western China Service Program. The voluntary teaching students will go to Lizhuang town of Yibin City, Sichuan Province, and Yuanmou and Yunlong counties in Yunnan Province with a view to offering voluntary teaching services in order to help local education and development. Executive vice president WU announced the list of volunteers participating in the above two programs, and XU Jianping, Deputy Secretary of the University Party Committee, presented banners and medals to the representatives of the two programs.
In 2017, Tongji University launched the “Sailing Award” as an important initiative to further guide and support graduates to seek employment and entrepreneurship in key areas, key projects, key programs, and key fields, and to encourage students to devote their youth to the service of places where the nation and people need them most. This year, a total of 153 graduates received the “Sailing Award”, of whom 1 won the special award, 22 the first prize, 45 the second prize and 85 the third prize. Executive vice president WU announced the list of award winners, and vice president LEI Xinghui presented certificates and medals to the representatives of the award winners.
In recent years, the “grassroots civil service candidate" has become an important career choice for many outstanding graduates of Tongji University. With the joint promotion of the University and government departments around the country this year, many Tongji graduates have been successfully selected as “grassroots civil service candidates", who will go to various parts of the country to serve grassroots organizations and push forward local construction and development. FANG Shouen, Secretary of the University Party Committee, bestowed banners to the representatives of the “grassroots civil service candidates".
In this year’s special “Thank You” session of the graduation ceremony, a 3-minute video was broadcast, showing the details and moving moments of the staff’s dedication to the students’ development. The scenes in the video are heart-warming indeed: these include not only teachers who teach and educate students, counselors who accompany students’ growing maturity, but also logistics staff who provide warm and efficient support services for each student’s life. The latter notably include the security members who keep the campus safe, cafeteria chefs who cook tasty meals, and the dormitory staff who create a congenial community for the students. Ten representatives of the staff came onto the stage. They were Prof. WANG Zhanshan and Prof. YANG Guiqing, two teachers who won the Tongji University’s “Excellence-pursuing Teacher Award” this year; DONG Bianlin, the Shanghai’s University Counselor of the Year; ZHU Shengxiu, a counselor who maintained her integrity after being demobilized from the active military service; XIA Yangxing and WANG Chongxue, two security members; TIAN Zhongqiang and CHANG Renben, two chefs; and JIANG Qing and JIANG Haiyan, two dormitory staff members. Representatives of the graduates presented them with bouquets of flowers to express their genuine respect and profound gratitude.
The tassel-turning session is a highlight of the graduation ceremony. Bachelors, masters, doctoral graduates and international students from the colleges and schools, dressed in graduation gowns, went onto the stage in groups. The university heads handed out commemorative scrolls to the graduates and turned the tassel for them. The tassel-turning session lasted about three and a half hours. As for graduates who attended the ceremony online, their tassels were turned by their elders.
During the tassel-turning session, teachers and students performed singing and dancing programs to offer best wishes to the graduates. President CHEN sang the song “Farewell” along with the students. In addition, a graduation MV “Morning Sunshine”, created by Tongji University, was played.
An MV entitled “Be strivers in the new era while sharing weal and woe in the same boat --- Message to Tongji University graduates 2020” was shown during the ceremony, which compiled heartfelt messages and earnest expectations from the heads of the colleges and schools, the class teachers, course teachers and counselors to the graduates.
In the end, the graduates stood up and sang “The Old Song of Tongji” and “The Song of Tongji” in chorus. The ceremony drew to a successful close amid passionate and proud singing.
On that day, the graduation ceremony was broadcast live on a large number of platforms, including People’s Daily Client, People’s Daily Weibo, People’s Video, CCTV, Xinhua News, Tongji University’s Xuexi Qiangguo account (study for a powerful country), Youku and Tongji University’s official Weibo, Tik Tok, Kuaishou, bilibili, Baidu and streaming media platforms, with a total of nearly 10 million online viewers.
Source: https://news.tongji.edu.cn/info/1003/74214.htm
