On June 30, the 2016 Graduation Ceremony and commencement for Postgraduates of Tianjin University was held at the gymnasium in the Weijin Road campus. Many people were in attendance which contributed to a solemn and warm atmosphere. 331 doctoral candidates and 2242 master's degree candidates had their time on the stage. They patiently waited for their teachers to adjust their tassels and present them with their certificates, the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. The school leaders, alumni and representatives of the teachers bestowed upon the students their sincere blessings and expressed their high expectations for the future.
Li Jiajun, President of Tianjin University, Zhong Denghua, and, Liu Dongzhi, Vice Presidents of Tianjin University, Li Yidan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee, Wang Yan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection, Zhang Lixin, president assistant, Gu Yao, general accountant, Liu Ning, president assistant, and Zheng Baicun, outstanding alumni, attended the ceremony. Nearly 3000 people from students’ families, colleges and departments came to the ceremony hosted by Li Yidan. Outside the gymnasium, an Advice Board, written by Liu Jianping, the secretary of the Party Committee, and Li Jiajun, the president of Tianjin University, was on display. Inside the gymnasium, the giant screen showed images of students chasing their dreams and setting off on new journeys. The Graduates felt mixed emotions of sadness and happiness, searched for familiar scenes and faces in the video and looked forward to realising their own Tianjin University Dream.
To rapturous applause, the University, and College leaders and guests took their places on the stage as the ceremony started with the National Anthem.
Li Jiajun addressed the students. On behalf of all faculties, especially the graduates’ teachers, in the university he sincerely congratulated the students and their relatives. Li Jiajun said “The path in front of you is full of hopes and challenges. After entering society, the easiest thing to forget is the hunger for knowledge and the persistence towards your ideal life you had when you were a student. So, you have to beware the danger of corruption. I hope all of you graduating today can use your heart to pursue the truth and to hold onto your principles to be a great person. I hope, in the future, you won’t lose your faith and will stick to your dreams, you won’t lose your patience and will stay focused on your work. You won’t stand being normal, will take perfection as your standard and you won’t be solitary and will learn to work with others.” At the same time, he said to the students “You are about to leave university and enter a bigger world, I hope you can stay sharp, patient, excellent and generous. When you are on the way to being a talent, please follow your righteous hearts to be model first-class characters and use your wise heads to acquire first-class intelligence. The Youth Lake will be the same, the crabapples will be the same and Tianjin University will be, and always will be, the beginning of dreams and a haven for you to rest.”
Zheng Bocun, one of the alumni who joined the ceremony, attended Tianjin University in 1981 and was soon chosen to go to East China College of Chemical Engineering (now known as East China University of Science and Technology) with two other students. He then acquired master’s degree from both universities. In his speech, he thanked Tianjin University for teaching him the essence of “prospering the nation through education, patriotism and dedication, seeking truth from facts and being precise in learning, strict in teaching”. Only because he fully understood those words, did he achieve everything he has so far. After talking about his experience, he gave the graduates two pieces of advice. First, you need to believe in dreams and kindness. Life is all about the struggle between dreams and reality, trust and doubt and give and take. ‘If you lose your dream, then there is only reality in your eyes. If you lose your faith, then your lose yourself.’ he said. He warned the graduates “No matter how far you go, how tired you are and how many difficulties you face, always remember where you started. Don’t ever forget why you began the journey.” He also encouraged the graduates to believe that life is not just about toughness, there is still goodness and hope for a better future.. Second, you need to embrace the change and learn to adapt. He suggested that the graduates should continually improve their ability to study in order to find themselves in the future. He said to the graduates “The only thing that does not change is the law that everything changes. And under these circumstances, the scariest thing for everyone is that you are not changing. When being a student, if you win at the beginning because of your excellent scores, please don’t be complacent. After you enter society, if you stubbornly rest on your previous results, you will definitely fail in the end. ”Learning after doing“, take learning as a way of living. And learn to cooperate with others, communicate with others and bring happiness to others.’
Ma Jun’an, Professor from the College of Science in Tianjin University, a doctoral supervisor, and a winner of the Scientific Fund for National Excellent Youth, gave a speech as the representative of the faculty. He said “You have all been through study and life as a Postgraduate students in Tianjin University. The spirit of our university is already been in your blood and your bones and it will be the key to your success.” He encouraged the graduates to go down roads where no one has ever been before, keep learning to improve themselves, and to find a new path for society.
Yu Yujie, the youngest graduate among the doctoral students in the College of Civil Engineering, reviewed her nine-year history at Tianjin University. From an undergraduate to a doctoral student, she not only acquired knowledge, degrees and awards, but more importantly, she acquired dreams. She spoke for all the graduates when she said, “Tianjin University taught us the spirit of ‘Seeking truth from facts’, the attitude of modesty and honesty and the faith in innovation and enterprise. Those are the biggest treasures we have received here and no matter where we are in the future, we will all be holding onto our dreams and concentrating on our work in order to honor the glory of Tianjin University into the future.”
Bai Haili, Deputy Dean of the College of Graduates, represented the Degree Evaluation Committee of Tianjin University and read the results of the doctoral and master degrees. Teachers from different colleges also sent their congratulations to the graduates through a video.
Before the end of the ceremony, all the graduates sang the university anthem together. And finally, all the graduates climbed the stage and accepted their degrees awarded by the university leaders, college leaders and representatives from the Degree Evaluation Committee.
