Good afternoon, Class of 2022. Welcome to UIC.
I hope you've spent some time over the past few days discovering all our campus has to offer: exploring the beauty of our surroundings, discovering new spots to eat, visiting our library and gym, and enjoying meeting with roommates and new friends.
Convocation is one of my favorite events of the year. It's always wonderful to celebrate the arrival of our new first-year students, as you embark on the next steps of your academic journey.
I know that all of you have worked extremely hard to get here for a very long time. And, yes, things right now could be a lot better, but you must continue to accomplish your four important years of life. In university, as in life, attitude is as important as ability. There is a saying that "attitude determines altitude". It will decide how high you can climb. You have much more freedom here than in high school, with no one looking over your shoulders. But freedom is not free. If you want to be successful, you need to combine freedom with self-discipline.
In the time that I have with you today, I want to encourage you to use your years at UIC for purposeful engagement in three ways: with your academics, with your campus life and with the wider world.
First, I hope you'll use your UIC time for deep intellectual engagement and to explore UIC's exciting academic offerings. The next few years present you with a unique opportunity in life: to explore freely across a broad variety of interests and to learn from leading scholars in many fields. I encourage you to look beyond what you already know and to be open to unexpected paths and possibilities.
Second, I encourage you to enjoy and engage in your campus life.
As important as your academic experiences are your relationships with your fellow students and staff mentors. This being a residential college, you are here to build life-long relationships. Your room-mates and classmates may one day become your business partners and best friends in life. The dormitory is a good place to learn social skills as a well-rounded person.
In addition, there are many extracurricular opportunities at UIC, where you can further explore your interests. UIC has more than 100 student-led organizations. I encourage you to find the ones that spark your curiosity – it will further enrich your experience.
My third point is equally important. In order to make a real impact on our world, you'll need to know how to embrace a diversity of perspectives and engage in productive conversations across areas of disagreement. But doing this requires enhancing the ability of communication, team-work, and cooperation. The university is a community of learners who share a common culture. Here, we encourage your peers to express their thoughts so you can discuss and debate them, to persuade or be persuaded by them. Our courses will provide you with a forum to think deeply about what it means to be an engaged citizen and to examine your own views rigorously.
UIC is international not only in name, but in our philosophy, our teaching staff and programs, with English as the language of instruction. We are also well-known as a university with high standards and high demands. In exchange, we give you a solid foundation for further education. Over 70% of our graduates go on for higher degrees in leading universities worldwide.
This year, like last year, we are welcoming hundreds of new students who are joining us on Special Intake. These students have been accepted by overseas universities but are unable to go because of Covid-19. They may feel frustrated at not being able to go abroad. But coming to UIC may be a blessing in disguise, because UIC can give them a bicultural experience at the finest liberal arts college in this part of the world. Special-Intake students generally speak good English, but please be aware that writing is an essential skill for your future. Make sure you pick it up before you leave UIC, whether you are Special Intake or not.
One more thing. Two years in, the pandemic continues to challenge us! We must all learn to live with it. Please be patient and tolerant. Our staff are doing their best to keep your inconvenience to a minimum, but they need your cooperation and understanding.
At UIC, the "quality of student experience" is our top priority. Our staff, both academic and administrative, have done their best in designing learning activities and programs to bring out the best in you. This is not a 9-to-5 university but a 24-hour residential university where learning is a complete experience.
I cannot express how happy I am to be here with all of you to begin the academic year. I look forward to seeing you around throughout the coming years.
Thank you and enjoy your life at UIC.
