Dear Graduates, President Chen, Secretary Guo, Dr. Shi, teachers and friends, good morning!
All your smiling faces resemble the blossoming July flowers in Shenzhen. I am Ding Xuemei, Vice President of Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). I am very honored to be here today at the beautiful campus of South University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) to attend the 2018 Graduation Ceremony and commencement of the South University of Science and Technology, witnessing this special moment of SUSTech and every student. Here, on behalf of the co-operative graduate college of Harbin Institute of Technology, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to all graduates. I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the dedicated teachers and friends!
Today, 159 students graduated with a significant master’s degree, which contains all you have learned and gained from the hard work in the past two years in an extraordinary university in South China. It also comes with the sincerest blessings from Harbin Institute of Technology, a partner in the northern part of this country.
The past three years has been extraordinarily fruitful, ever since SUSTech and HIT initiated our joint graduate student program. I feel proud of all the graduate students from the bottom of my heart.
Reputedly, SUSTech represents the pursuit of reform and innovation, while HIT represents the persistent pursuit of truth by a scientific approach. SUSTech and HIT share similarities in various aspects: the buildings in both of our campuses are given names conveying our humanistic spirits as science and engineering universities, such as “Zhi Ren”, “Yu Ren”, “Zhi Cheng”, and “Shu De” in SUSTech and “Ge Wu”, “Zhi Zhi”, “Cheng Yi”, and “Zheng Xin” in HIT, which respectively represents different traditional Chinese mottoes. SUSTech has the “6+3+1” undergraduate enrollment system, while HIT has a structured interview for postgraduate enrollment, which is our familiar concept of comprehensive evaluation of students. The mission statement of SUSTech is to develop a world-class research university, while HIT is striving to build an influential world-class university with a century of history as well as Chinese characteristics. Today, the graduate students jointly cultivated by the two universities are about to embark on a new journey. Please bring with you the best wishes from both sides.
Dear students, the Chinese word of graduation, “毕业,” literally means “ the completion of school,” and in English “commencement,” meaning “the beginning and starting.” Today, your academic life ends, while your professional career is just starting. After a few years of diligent academic study and scientific research, you are now full of vigor and vitality to serve the broad world and society. At this significant occasion, I would like to share with you some of my thoughts from the perspective of HIT.
Since its launch in 2011, SUSTech has been associated closely with reform and innovation. Just as reflected in the speeches of the two graduates, each of the students of the University of Southern Science inheres naturally innovative genes. Here, I also hope that the graduate students could learn about the motto of the Harbin Institute of Technology, namely: “Being strict in qualifications for graduates, making every endeavor in educating students.” It may sound not very poetic, but it is a concentrated expression of the belief and pursuit of all the teachers and students of Harbin. Innovation is often linked with exploration and courage, and the ultimate meaningful goal of innovation often requires perseverance and persistence. Therefore, Harbin Institute of Technology’s motto expresses our pursuit of excellence. Just as to create a masterpiece, excellence requires both unique ideas, and to try, to polish, to perfect every detail. Thereby, in achieving your ambition, I hope you would adhere to seeking truth through practice. Please insist on the down-to-earth practices, rather than high-spirited and arrogant ones, try to innovate at every job, and strive for excellence reaching every achievement.
Dear graduates, you are the first graduate students of South University of Science and Technology. The pride SUSTech takes in you is here for everyone to see. I would also like to say that as a joint university, Harbin Institute of Technology is equally proud of you. In the backdrop of your growth, there exist some glamorous strokes of HIT and in your future career development, HIT would be more than willing to join our hands with SUSTech to become your eternal spiritual homeland. In conclusion, I wish the South University of Science and Technology and the Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen Campus would eventually become the brightest academic signature of our motherland just as Stanford and UC Berkeley! I wish all graduates could remain true to your original aspiration, always strive and prosper contributing to the development of our motherland!
