byLi Dayong fromOffice of University Affairs
Translated by Wei Xutao; edited by Zhen Yanhua
Time:2014-6-25 16:56:47 Click:871.208
Li Dayong, HUST President
Dear graduates, my fellow teachers and distinguished guests,
Today, we are getting together here, as we do every early summer, to witness the graduation of over 7,000 young people. It might be a familiar occasion for some of us, but for those young people, it must be one of the most solemn occasions in their lives, one of the most solemn occasions worthwhile to be treasured for ever. So I think it is our duty to congratulate them with our warmest applause at first. Please!
Again, let’s deliver our lofty respect to their proud parents and tolerant teachers, with our warmest applause!
Again, let’s deliver our sincere blessings and best wishes to every HUST graduates, with our warmest applause!
There are different stages in a person’s life. Different stages have different significances. However, for most people, college life is absolutely the most important stage. It is the stage for them to acquire knowledge, improve ability and form their independent personality. Dear graduates, you should know you are a lucky generation. You were admitted by HUST at the time she celebrated her 60 birthday. It means, you should have the historical opportunity to grow up with your Alma mater hand in hand.
During last four years, under the guidance of constructing high-level university, and with the joint efforts of all of us, HUST achieved great progress in various fields, and the basic teaching and scientific research conditions in it have improved considerably, while all of you, as undergraduates then, like drops of seeds, benefited from these changes, thrived on this fertile piece of land and finally harvested what are necessary for you to adapt to the challenge of modern society, including professional knowledge, practical ability, innovation sense, healthy personality, sunny mentality, and so on, as well as unforgettable friendship, or even sweet love. In a word, HUST fulfilled its historical mission, so do you!
Of course, due to the limited funding budget and huge pressure of repaying national loan, HUST still has too much room to perfect, such as the ankle-hurting basketball court in East Campus, the crowded and dilapidated bathroom in South Campus, the single-tasted canteen food, the unsatisfactory environment and network facilities of the dormitory, etc. As the president, I have to say sorry here and now. However, most of you, as well as your parents, showed enough understanding and great generosity to these from beginning to end.
After the celebration of her 60th anniversary, HUST formed a convention to host a symposium between president and representatives of graduates every year before the graduation ceremony. As the president, I took part in everysymposiumfrom 2011 up to now. Although the topics of discussion are of the same theme and routine, I can always reap enlightenment and encouragement from them, esp. from the suggestions and advices our graduates made for the further development of HUST. In 2011, I collected 67 proposals, while last week, at the 2014’s symposium, I wrote down 102. I must say it is not only the change in quantity, but the change in quality as well. All the 102 proposals contained no complaint, or show making, but feasible suggestion only.
Besides, from the symposium, I can also realize the true love of every graduate towards his or her Alma mater. Onerepresentative said, “my Alma mater give me a soul, a HUST’s soul, and wherever I will go, whatever I will be, I will never go against the soul”. Another said, “HUST taught me how to think, how to behave, how to do things. I'm proud of her!”
A monitor, who have given up the preferential treatment of a large enterprise to join the PLA instead, told me, “With the ethos of ‘be honest person, do solid work’ I learned in HUST, I will succeed wherever I go.”
It is a pity for me to have no time to mention more examples of representatives who have expressed their emotion to HUST that day. But “we love HUST most” is definitely the voice of every graduate. As your Alma mater,HUSTis also looking forward to seeing your achievements, and believes that all of you can constantly polish the glorious brand for her, like Mr. Ma Shaokui, your predecessor who has just communicated with you, like many distinguished alumni of HUST! She will always support you, care you and be your home forever!
You must remember the entrance ceremony HUST hosted for you four years ago, a ceremony as grand as this one. I hope you can recall what I told you at that time. I said that you should not only be the beneficiaries of HUST, also the contributor to the cause of HUST. According to what I know up to now, while most of you have found your satisfactory positions, there are still some others hunting or waiting for their opportunities. Whichever group you belong to, I hope you are always optimistic to life, so that you can make your due contributions to the prosperity and rejuvenation of our society in your own position in the future.
Please keep these words in mind, i.e. it is very necessary to dream, it is particularly important to strive, and it is the most valuable to stick to. I hope, and I even believe, that the excellent cultural quality of HUST is bound to ensure your success in the future!
HUST is where your dream starts. Now it is time for you to fly it! Spread your “invisible” wings and fly your dream! Just like Roger, or Yang Pei-an, sings in the song “I do believe”, I do believe that youth can never have horizon! Yes,I do believe!
