This year, over a thousand students graduated from UIC and obtained their Bachelor Degrees by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). About 600 graduates celebrated together with their family members and friends at the Academic Community Hall at the 54th Commencement on 23 November.
Processional
The solemn Commencement
Presiding over the Commencement was Mr Cheng Yan Kee, JP, Chairman of the Council and the Court at HKBU.
Mr Cheng Yan Kee congratulates graduates
HKBU President and Vice-Chancellor Prof Albert S C Chan presented degree certificates to graduates and said: “Making and keeping connections is a theme I would like to explore in my address to you today. Connections with others, connections with ideas, and connections between you and the university.”
Prof Chan acknowledged that globalisation has been made possible by technology and has allowed people separated by huge distances to connect with one another almost instantaneously. However, “Don’t let technology shut you off from the world. Instead, use the technology at your disposal to explore the world and exchange ideas, to reach out to those around you and to be of service where you can.”
Graduates receive degree certificates from Prof Albert Chan
| Attending the event were (from left) Prof Stella Cho, Dean of the Division of Business and Management; Prof Mei-Hwa Sung, Dean of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences; Prof Stephen Chung, Dean of the Division of Science and Technology; and other guests |
Student Shan Xuling was invited to be the valedictorian on behalf of the 2013 graduate class. She said the knowledge, skills and friendships she gained at UIC will enable her to be confident in overcoming any obstacle. “We worked hard to get to this point, but we can never say we have done it by ourselves. We should feel very lucky and grateful for all the opportunities, help, encouragement and even challenges that have been given to us during the past four years.”
Student representative Shan Xuling gives a valedictory speech
At the ceremony
The Commencement also saw 58 students awarded with a First Class Honours Degree, and 16 students collected Scholastic Awards.
HKBU Vice-President (Academic) Prof Franklin T Luk presents a student with Scholastic Award
On the Commencement day, Deputy Director of the Zhuhai Municipal Education Bureau Ms Cao Fengyun led a delegation from the Bureau and the Zhuhai universities to visit HKBU and attend the ceremony. Ms Cao felt glad for the UIC graduates when seeing such an “earnest and warm” ceremony. “UIC has a distinctive education philosophy and a good reputation. Many parents and students praise its education,” she said.
Ms Cao Fengyun leads a delegation to visit HKBU
By 1 November 2013, 57% of the graduates choose to continue their studies in various institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, University College London, the University of Manchester, Macquarie University, McGill University, the University of Leeds, the University of Denver and Hong Kong University. Some who decided to start their career are employed by the Big Four accounting firms (PWC, Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young), Watsons, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Kingsoft and other famous enterprises.
Jointly founded by Beijing Normal University and HKBU in 2005, UIC is the first full-scale cooperation in higher education between the Mainland and Hong Kong. Graduates are awarded Bachelor Degrees by HKBU and Graduation Certificates by UIC.
Reporter: Deen He
Photographers: Jack Xiao, Irene Yu, Dong Hanxiao and Deen He
(from MPRO, with special thanks to the ELC)
