The 2017 undergraduate commencement of the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI) was held at SJTU on August 11, officiated by Zhongqin Lin, President of SJTU, Jun Ni, JI Honorary Dean, Peisen Huang, JI Dean and all JI associated deans. The milestone of the 200 plus graduates of JI’s Class of 2017 was witnessed by parents and staffs.
Dean Huang first extended his sincere congratulations to the graduates and proposed a standing ovation to the parents and teachers for their selfless support and dedication throughout the four years. Then, he shared the placement results of the 2017 graduates: 84% of them will continue graduate studies at famous foreign and domestic universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, Zurich Federal Institute of Technology, Royal Swedish Institute of Technology and Shanghai Jiaotong University; those who chose employment will join Huawei, Google, Amazon, Facebook, NVIDIA, Intel, Microsoft, China Mobile and other well-known enterprises at home and abroad. He thanked the graduates for leaving beautiful memories at JI. He was proud of their accomplishments and had high expectation of them as innovative future global leaders.
As the founding dean of JI, Jun Ni wished the graduates a bright future and shared insights into his successful life career. From SJTU undergraduate years to graduate study in the United States, from taking charge of the Wu Xianming Manufacturing Research Center to establishing a pilot education zone – the Joint Institute, from initiating the Sino-US cooperation in manufacturing research to promoting global manufacturing development, Ni walked every step with conviction and gratitude to his motherland, alma mater and mentor. For his send-off message, he cited the words of his mentor, Professor Xianming Wu “There are three elements of success: talent, opportunity and hard work. Talent accounts for 10%, opportunity accounts for 20% and diligence accounts for 70%. The talent is a gift from parents and the chance is hard to get by; only hard work is in our control. However, when the luck strikes, often the hard workers are able to grasp it.”
Ms. Xiaoyuan Wu, a parent representative, expressed deep gratitude to JI. She said, “In four years, JI’s international innovative educational environment would mold a student, regardless being outstanding or ordinary, into a content fine young person with aspiration, character and spirit. JI unites all parents, wherever they are, into a warm and tight-knit family.” She hoped that all graduates will remember their families, alma mater and motherland; and brave the world with the JI spirit of self-improvement, innovation, risk-taking, dedication and pursuit of excellence.
On behalf of the class of 2017, Ziqi Guo reflected on his growth at JI and thanked JI for the rich experiences, such as Vg100 projects and international exchange programs. He believes JI has transformed all his classmates with the abundant development opportunities and challenges. On embarking on their next journeys, Guo encouraged all graduates to stick to their aspirations and bring changes to the world.
To express their gratitude, the 2017 graduates presented JI with an engineering gift “Walking JI” designed by the students. This mechanical structure can walk with its many components assembled together, symbolizing the graduates will continue to unite like a big family and make progress with courage. Dean Huang and Party Secretary Li accepted the gift.
Upon closing, President Lin expressed warm congratulations to the 2017 graduates. As the only SJTU leader still on JI’s board of directors, he said he has witnessed JI’s growth in the past eleven years, from trying to build everything from scratch to today’s achievements in first-class faculty, outstanding students and excellent academic programs. He is proud that the success of JI not only strengthens SJTU’s international reputation and competitiveness, but also enhances SJTU’s contribution to national development and social progress. His parting wishes for the graduates are: (1) Remember SJTU’s motto of “Gratitude and Responsibility,” (2) Uphold the lofty Ideal with patience and persistence.
Finally came the long awaited moment. Every graduate walked to the podium to receive his/her hard earned SJTU diploma and JI learning certificate.
