ECNU leaders spoke to 7,306 graduates at the 2016 Commencement Ceremony held outdoors on the lawn in front of the library at the Minhang Campus on June 22.
Chairman of the University Council of ECNU, Tong Shijun, ECNU President Chen Qun and other leaders such as Yang Changli, Fang Ping, Sun Zhenrong, Mei Bing, Li Zhibin, Wang Rongming, Zhou Aoying and Dai Liyi sent best wishes to students graduating this summer, which included 3,787 postgraduates, 3,420 undergraduates and 99 junior college students.
“Glory” and “affection” became the key words used most in the speeches of the speakers.
The leaders hailed that the graduates have accomplished their studies and made glorious achievements, wished them a bright future and hoped they would bring the Alma Mater glory in the days to come.
They said the elaborately planned commencement ceremony shows the deep affection the university has for the graduates and hoped the memory will be enshrined in their minds.
At the ceremony, 392 people were awarded the title of “Shanghai Excellent Graduates”, 415 “ECNU Excellent Graduates”, seven “ECNU Best Teachers in the Eyes of Students”, and five “The Most Lovely Persons”. The Crayfish and Verbena projects run by the Logistics Department also won recognition.
It has become a tradition for the university's graduating students to select the best teachers each academic year since 2001. Only the teachers who won the votes for five consecutive years are eligible for the title of “ECNU Best Teachers In the Eyes of Students”. This year's winners are Wan Qin and Su Xueyun with the Faculty of Education, Wang Xiangmin with the Department of Politics, Zhang Lingping with the Global Center for Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, Li Xiaowen with the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Zhou Bin with the Faculty of Economics and Management, and Wen Yuliang with the Department of Mathematics.
Meanwhile, the student service and catering departments were also considerate enough to roll out warm services for the graduates. The student affairs department gave each graduate a souvenir as a gift while the catering center created new recipes, special dishes for vegetarians and a night market. The Dongyue Dining Hall at the Minhang Campus extended service hours by providing a fourth meal each day, sent exquisite postcards to graduates, and decided to allow the graduates to use meal cards after they leave the university.
A party on the night of June 22 winding up the commencement ceremony turned out to be feast for the eyes and ears, during which teachers and students sang and danced to their hearts' content.
