Due to the need of epidemic prevention and control, this year's graduation ceremony was livestreamed for the first time. CSU leaders including Yi Hong, Tian Hongqi, Tao Lijian, Hu Yuehua, Huang Jianling, Li Jingsheng, Chen Chunyang, Zhou Kechao, Zhu Xuehong, Chen Xiang, Guo Xueyi, and Chen Lizhang, CAE Academician Chai Liyuan, and main directors and faculty representatives of all secondary college and relevant functional departments were present at the ceremony. They congratulated these 2020 graduates on the start of a new chapter in their lives. This ceremony was presided over by Tao Lijian, Executive Deputy Secretary of the CPC committee of CSU.

Hu Yuehua, Executive Vice President, announced the University’s decision to honor outstanding CSU graduates. Of them, 1,806 students were awarded the title of “Excellent CSU Graduates of 2020”, 88 the title of “CSU Graduates of 2020 with Excellent Voluntary Services in Grassroots Communities”, and 58 the title of “CSU Graduates of 2020 with Excellent Voluntary Support in National Defense”. CAE Academician Chai Liyuan and CSU leaders presented honorary certificates to these award winners.

Vice President Zhu Xuehong declared the resolution of CSU Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, granting 8181 students the bachelor degrees, 2525 the master degrees, and 184 the doctoral degrees. CAE Academician Chai Liyuan and CSU leaders presented degree certificates to these graduates, turned the tassels of their trencher caps from the right to the left, and took photos with them.

Wang Zhaoyang, a 2020 graduate representative from the School of Physics and Electronics gave a speech, expressing his gratitude to the alma mater for its cultivation and gratitude to the teachers for their guidance, and sharing how he felt at the graduation moment. He stated, “No matter where we are, our love for CSU and our spirits and temperaments cultivated from CSU will never change. We must strive to shoulder the responsibility of making our country better. This is our glory and dream endowed by CSU.”

Professor Wu Anhua, a teacher representative from the Infection Control Center of Xiangya Hospital extended his blessings and expectations to these graduates. He encouraged the young students to well plan the future careers with ideals, goals and capabilities, to bravely combine personal ideals and national needs with the pioneering spirit, to maintain the desire and exploration for knowledge, and to carry forward and pass on CSU’s pragmatic and enterprising spirits.

President Tian Hongqi made a keynote speech themed at “Face Challenges Fearlessly for a Better Future”. In the speech, she extended, on behalf of CSU, her congratulations and blessings to the graduates who will start a new journey and her heartfelt thanks to the teachers, relatives and friends who has cared for and supported the graduates’ growth.

“You are witnesses, participants, and contributors.” Tian Hongqi enumerated the glories and fruits these graduates have achieved for the development of the University since they were enrolled, “Among you, there are a multitude of dream-chasing teams winning the first places in the national and international disciplinary innovation competitions, quite a few excellent classes where all students have been admitted into domestic and overseas first-class universities for further study, and charitable groups which have been unremittingly committed to poverty alleviation in hometowns for several years... During your academic years, CSU entered top 200 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities and jumped to the 54th of the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings; CSU won 46 prizes in the State Science and Technology Awards and received the development approvals for 26 national first-class undergraduate disciplines.” She expressed, “Each of your efforts has justified your endeavors; each of your improvements has shown your self-transcendence; each of your achievements has demonstrated your youth. In you, I see the spirits of challengers.

Tian Hongqi pointed out that in 2020, CSU faces major challenges posed by COVID-19. In this anti-epidemic battle, 629 medical workers from CSU Xiangya Hospital countermarched to support Wuhan, completely taking over 3 Intensive Care Units of two hospitals in Wuhan. The nearly 1,000 anti-epidemic guidelines and think tank suggestions they proposed were nationally adopted and internationally borrowed. The “Temporary Treatment Center in Hospital Xiangya Model” was determined as the template for all Temporary Treatment Centers by the Wuhan authority and shared globally. Through the Cloud Classroom, the Cloud Thesis Defense, the Cloud Secondary Examination, the Cloud Job Recruitment, etc., the 2020 graduates also experienced a special baptism by the epidemic.

“Success only favors those who boldly forge ahead amid great opportunities.” Tian Hongqi urged the graduates to face challenges fearlessly. She suggested that graduates embrace the unknown with strong willpower and fight in the current moment solidly and wisely for the future. “This is a great era with opportunities and challenges. Let’s start from here with greater firmness, calmness and confidence and bravely create a new future!”

Due to the impact of the epidemic, only over 300 graduates attended the graduation ceremony personally, and more than 10,000 graduates drew their campus life in CSU to an end in the form of “Cloud Attendance”. To make up for the regrets of the class of 2020, Tian Hongqi sent them an invitation, “You are welcome to come back to attend any future graduation ceremony. I will be here in CSU, waiting for you back and longing to take photos with you and to bless you with high fives.”

Source: News Center