In the morning of June 22, 2019 Postgraduate Commencement and Academic Degree Conferring Ceremony of Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou) was convened at the lecture hall of Zhongda Building, Suzhou Campus of Southeast University. Zhang Guangjun, President of Southeast University, Wang Baoping, Managing Vice President, Ding Hui, Chief Accountant, Vice Presidents Jin Baosheng and Liu Pan, Christine Nixon, Deputy Director of Monash University, President Margaret Gardner, Vice Presidents Paul Townsend, Susan Elliott and Aibing Yu, Zheng Jianyong, Director of the Management Committee of Suzhou Campus, main principals of departments of both parties concerned, the party and government principals of all colleges (departments) concerned, the teachers' representatives and representatives of the graduates’ relatives and friends attended the ceremony. The graduation ceremony was presided over by Jin Baosheng.
During the warm-up period, the “promotional video of Southeast University’s anniversary” was broadcasted, and the teacher and student choir of Suzhou Campus sang the classic song “Farewell”. The postgraduate commencement and academic degree conferring ceremony officially began in the sound of National Anthem. Wang Baoping announced the decision made by the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of Southeast University on conferring a master's degree.
Zhang Guangjun delivered a speech titled “Undertake the National Mission and Pursing the World Stage”. He firstly congratulated the 164 students who had obtained the master's degree, appreciated the faculty and staff of the two schools, and welcomed the guests coming from Monash University and the students’ relatives and friends present in the commencement. He said that the students have all achieved growth by keeping a foothold in the international frontier technology, making innovation and conquering difficulties bravely, setting up high aspirations, keeping enterprising. In particular, the students have shared the fruitful achievements of academic innovations of both universities and felt the intertwined culture of both schools as participants, beneficiaries and witnesses of the win-win cooperation between the two universities. Zhang Guangjun said that at present, the bright China must and will call for the youth in the new era to undertake responsibility. As the international leading talents jointly cultivated by the two universities, the students should step onto the world stage, refer to the international coordinates, develop the global vision, stand at the tide of the new era, and strive to become the leading talents highlighting patriotism and international vision, who intend to lead the future and benefit human beings. To this end, Zhang Guangjun shared his three expectations with the students: firstly, he expected the students to become the leaders of undertaking missions in the new era, insist in the great ideal of communism steadfastly, inherit the lofty ideal of Southeast University people of “becoming renowned with science and serving the country with talents”, be the pioneers, dedicators and leaders ahead of the times bravely. Secondly, he expected the students to become the innovation-driven leaders in the new era, be determined to innovate and take the initiative, persist in the fine tradition of Southeast University people's scientific and technological innovation and hard work in scientific research to master superior skills and serve as the innovation-driven leader in the new era. Thirdly, he expected the students to take the lead in striving for the perfection in the new era and inherit Southeast University people’s morality of “being sincere and practical-minded, striving for the perfection” so as to become the leaders highlighting patriotism and global vision who would cultivate great aspiration with ideal, measure the stage with footsteps and strive for the perfection. Finally, Zhang Guangjun said that today's commencement would be the last lesson of the postgraduate studies. It is the ending point and even the starting point, the farewell and even the best wishes. He expected all the students to undertake the mission bravely, be devoted to innovation, strive for the perfection, accomplish themselves in leading the future and benefiting the mankind. Meanwhile, their efforts and devotion could create more brilliance for the motherland, the people, the nation and the mankind.
Professor Gao Shengbing from the School of Foreign Languages spoke as a teacher representative, student Liu Jianhang, a MTI graduate, spoke as a representative of the graduates.
During the degree conferring ceremony, Zhang Guangjun, Wang Baoping, Jin Baosheng and Liu Pan, members of the school's Academic Degree Committee, set the tassels straight and conferred the academic degree certificates to the graduates.
The postgraduate commencement and academic degree conferring ceremony of Suzhou Campus of Southeast University ended in the school song.
It is reported that Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou) has established six dual master's degree programs and cultivated 797 dual master's degree students in the past eight years upon its establishment. In 2015, the graduate school began to recruit joint doctoral students and passed the first round of quality evaluation of Sino-foreign cooperation and school-running as conducted by the Ministry of Education in the same year. In 2019, new disciplines including power engineering and AI in computer engineering were introduced. Thus the annual enrollment of graduate students increased by 109 and the total annual enrollment reached 385. At the same time, a joint research institute, in parallel with the joint graduate school, was also set up including five joint research centers, which could strongly support the high-quality cultivation of graduate students. In 2019, the 6th batch of postgraduates, a total of 164 members, from Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou) were conferred the Master's Degree in engineering, translation and international business.
