On March 27, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Commencement Ceremony was held at the Huoyingdong Sport Centre of Minhang Campus. Subsequently, USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry (ICCI) organized the educational lecture on graduation and the graduation ceremony at the Academic Activity Center and Wenbo Building respectively. The ICCI graduates of 2021 gathered together to celebrate the graduation, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
Strive to Live Up to the Responsibility After Graduating From SJTU
In the morning, the ICCI graduates arrived at the Huoyingdong Sport Centre to participate in the 2021 SJTU Commencement Ceremony for the Graduate School Students. The Secretary of the Party Committee of SJTU, Zhenbin YANG addressed all the graduates and thanked them for the present given to the Alma Mater “Sparks”. He hoped that the graduates can spread the spirit of SJTUers to every corner of the world, thrive in riding the tide of history, stick to hard work and lifelong study, and make contribution to the nation’s revitalization with the passion of youth.
The Principal, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee, and Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering Zhongqin LIN addressed all the graduates with the speech Strive to Live Up to the Responsibility After Graduating From SJTU. In his speech, he hoped all the students can remember that choosing SJTU means making a pledge to shoulder the responsibility, and upon graduation, they should aim to live up to the mission of serving the country and become responsible SJTUers.
It is my duty to work for the prosperity of our nation. At noon, on the scene of the educational lecture on graduation, all the Party members among the graduates wearing the Party emblem attended the last themed Party activity in university. The Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of ICCI Feng ZHAO said thanks to the country’s great success in controlling the pandemic, the ICCI graduates of 2020 and 2021 have the opportunity to reunite at the beautiful Minhang Campus. She was confident that the young ICCI Party members present today would continue to undertake missions and responsibilities after they leave the school, and to take the lead in embodying “I and the Nation, I and SJTU, I and ICCI”, showing the loudest voice of the youth.
Weimin ZHANG, Dean and Secretary of the Party Committee of ICCI sent best wishes to the graduates. Referencing the talent cultivation objectives of ICCI, i.e., “Internationalization, Cross-disciplines, Industry-orientation”, he gave some precious advice to the graduates. He said that the birth and development of SJTU were closely connected with the destiny of the nation, and the previous generations of SJTUers had undertook numerous national major projects during the most difficult and turbulent times to contribute to the development and prosperity of the country. We should carry forward the Chinese culture and serve the people. He hoped that ICCI students, especially the Party members, would hold firm to missions, dare to take the lead to go to places where help is most needed and to create inspiring cultural products with their talent and creativity, contributing to the country’s cultural and creative industry.
On the gradation cake prepared by the institute, student and teacher representatives together lit the candles that symbolize “Set sails, 2021” to make good wishes for the future.
After the inspiring lecture on graduation, graduates headed to the East Gate together to take the graduation photos and participate in the opening ceremony of the experience base of ICCI Museum of Chinese Characters and the Chinese Character Exhibition.
Let the Dream Set Sail, Have the Courage to Face Challenges
In the afternoon, all ICCI graduates of 2021 gathered in the newly built Wenbo Building for the ICCI graduation ceremony. All the students and staff held the celebrate with guests from industrial and cultural circles, sending best wishes to the graduates. The guests present include Vice President of SJTU and Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering Zhen HUANG, Vice Curator and Member of the Party Committee of the Museum of Chinese Character Yanqin DUAN, Party Secretary and Vice-President of Shanghai Baozun Electronic Commerce Co., Ltd Wenhua ZHU, CEO of Spiritual Wealth Club Jiang WU, Vice President and General Manager of the Human Resource Department of Fosun Tourism Group, Co-CHO of Happy Industry Operating Committee Huijin FANG, USC Co-Academic Director of ICCI and Professor of USC Marshall School of Business Baizhu CHEN, Associate Professor Tianshu SUN, Dean and Secretary of the Party Committee of ICCI Weimin ZHANG, Former Vice Dean of ICCI, Chinese Director of Zizhu New Media Management Research Centre Jinzhang JIANG, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of ICCI Feng ZHAO, Vice Dean Ke XUE, Distinguished Professor and Director Xuehua HU, Professor Geoffrey Alan Rhodes, Executive Deputy Director of SJTU Shanghai Culture Research Institute and Vice Dean of Central Kiming Art Academy of China Association for Promoting Democracy Renzuo ZHAN.
Vice President of SJTU Zhen HUANG first congratulated ICCI graduates of 2021. He said since the founding of ICCI in 2015, it cultivated many talents to support the development of cultural and creative industry in Shanghai and nationwide, with its international and industry-oriented education. The cultural and creative industry will soon welcome a “Golden Period”. He hoped that every ICCI graduates will always keep the SJTU school motto “When you drink water, never shall you forget its source; love your motherland and bring honor to your alma mater” in mind, complete the mission of revitalizing the nation’s cultural undertakings and integrate personal career with the national cultural and creative industry development to achieve self-realization through creating value.
USC Co-Academic Director of ICCI and Professor of USC Marshall School of Business Baizhu CHEN sent best wishes to 2021 graduates on behalf of USC. He was proud of the graduates co-nurtured by SJTU and USC and encouraged every graduate to face challenges with courage to achieve success.
Weimin ZHANG, Dean and Secretary of the Party Committee of ICCI encouraged the graduates that after joining the industry of cultural and creative industry officially, they would should strive to become the effective strength of the industry in the country and contribute their energy and youth.
Afterwards, student supervisors Zhen Huang, Weimin ZHANG, Jinzhang JIANG, Ke XUE, Geoffrey Alan Rhodes, Xuehua HU and Renzuo ZHAN presented the 2020 and 2021 graduates with the graduation and master’s degree certificates.
On the commencement, the institute also announced newly appointed industry mentors in 2021. This year, ICCI welcomes four new mentors from the industry, including Jie DAN, Chairman and CEO of Yanjiyou Culture Group, Deng FAN, Chief Content Officer of Spiritual Wealth Club, Jiannong QIAN, Fosun Global Partner, Chairman and CEO of Fosun Tourism Group, Wenhua ZHU, Party Secretary and Vice-President of Shanghai Baozun Electronic Commerce Co., Ltd. Representatives of industry mentors send their good wishes to graduates online and on site via speeches.
The new industry mentor Wenhua ZHU made a themed speech on the topic of “Being an upright person and choose an extraordinary life” by sharing his own personal experience. He gave sincere advice to the students, hoping they can value choices, be courageous and diligent to take on challenges and become upright people with a positive mindset.
As the representative of industry mentor, Deng FAN sent his congratulations online. He expressed his willingness to try his best to provide ICCI students with more opportunity to get to know “knowledge economy”. Meanwhile he hoped ICCI students may focus on creativity in the future and take the lead to explore and try out new practices in cultural and creative industry.
Mentor representative Jie DAN also addressed ICCI graduates who are soon to leave the campus, wishing them to cherish the quality of being young, to maintain the sense of responsibility to society, and to pass on Chinese cultural with the knowledge and skills that they have learnt.
As the teacher representative, ICCI Associate Professor Sunghan RYU sent his best wishes to the graduates. He shared his understanding of “three states of pain”, encouraging students to nurture the courage of facing difficulties and unknown challenges.
On behalf of all graduates, class of 2017, Ningyi HUANG firstly expressed her excitement and gratitude of her returning to the campus and attending this “delayed graduation ceremony”. She said that she applied what she had acquired from ICCI into the practice in the first year after graduation, and meanwhile had realized her own weaknesses. She encouraged all graduates to stick on lifelong learning, and used all strength to keep the same pace as the latest development of cultural and creative industry.
On behalf of the graduates from class of 2021, Tianjiao QIAO extended his love and special thanks to ICCI and all faculty and also best wishes to his classmates. He said that his classmates brought him chances to know multiple cultures and backgrounds, and hoped that they could still stay in touch after graduation, showing the fullest supports to each other. Zhenwei Guo deeply recalled his busy but fulfilling academic and social studies here in ICCI, and meanwhile showed his gratitude to SJTU, the school for its abundant teaching resources. Tianjiao DING chose “trusty” and “genuine” to summarize her schooldays in ICCI. She thanked again to the school and teachers for their trusts and also sent her best wishes to the classmates. Yushu ZHANG started his career as an entrepreneur, and he expressed his beautiful expectations in the ceremony that he would be able to invite all to his exhibitions one day.
Shan JIANG, a first-year graduate of ICCI, also sent his sincere wishes to all graduates, wishing that they would contribute their talents to develop and prosper our nation as ICCIers. Weimin ZHANG, Baizhu CHEN, Feng ZHAO, Jinzhang JIANG, Ke XUE, and Tianshu SUN, respectively presented the honors of Outstanding Graduate of Shanghai and Outstanding Graduate of SJTU to 2021 graduates.
SJTU has always valued building the alumni networks, especially on recruiting graduates with industriousness, responsibility and enthusiasm as the council members, through which, the connection between the school and students would be strengthened. Weimin ZHANG and Feng ZHAO jointly issued the appointment letters to the council members from class 2020 and 2021.
ICCI has its special industry-orientated talents training model, and it encourages all students to actively participate in front-line industry practices and internships. To recognize those outstanding graduates with excellent working performance during their internships in well-known enterprises at home and abroad, ICCI awarded the Honor Scholarship. Qian WANG, Titus LEVI, Sunghan RYU, Wenxun HE, Ouchul HWANG, on behalf of teachers, and the industry guest Wei FANG presented the honors and certificates to the graduates.
During the gift-giving, the graduate students Lu HAN and Huijin HAN sent a Kumquat tree to the school. They said that the bitter but sweet flavor of kumquats stand for the painful but joyful academic studies at ICCI for every student, and hoped ICCI would nurture more fruits in the future that would glow and shine in the cultural and creative industry around the world. Weimin ZHANG conveyed his gratitude to the graduates and bestowed the map of the teaching and researching buildings of ICCI that was signed by all faculty. He said the school would always be here for any student and hoped that with teachers’ blessings, the graduates would be brave enough to fight for their ambitions.
Yihong SUN, teacher from ICCI, and Zexin ZHENG, freshman from class of 2020, performed the guitar solo shows Freedom Tango and The Most Memorable Season respectively to salute to the “youth” together with graduates. The class of 2018 also expressed their excitements through the song-mix performance. With the sing-along performance of “The Brightest Star in the Sky”, the 2021 ICCI Commencement Ceremony for Graduate Students was successfully concluded.
Spread your wings and soar to great heights. The sky is all yours.
Happy Graduation!