Press Release
HKBU confers degrees on 6700 graduates and honours five distinguished persons at Commencement today
Monday, 19 Nov 2018
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) held its 59th Commencement on 15-17 and 19 November to confer undergraduate degrees and higher degrees on more than 6,700 graduates. In addition, the University also conferred honorary doctoral degrees on five distinguished persons for their outstanding professional achievements and remarkable contributions to society.
Mrs Doreen Chan Hui Dor-lam（陳許多琳女士）, a veteran banker, and Dr Philip Chen Nan-lok（陳南祿博士）, a distinguished business executive, were awarded the degree of Doctor of Business Administration honoris causa. Dr Ko Wing-man（高永文醫生）, an eminent leader in public health services in Hong Kong, and Professor Michael Schudson, a world-leading journalism scholar, were bestowed with the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa. Professor Shi Yigong（施一公教授）, a prominent structural biophysicist, received the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa. For background information on the five honorary graduates, please visit here.
At the ceremony, President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Roland Chin shared a few stories about recent HKBU graduates, highlighting their achievements and perseverance. Encouraging graduates, he said: "Everyone is a talent. Please dare to dream and dare to try, and you will achieve greatness." He said that the philosophy of a whole-person, liberal arts education at HKBU enables the University to nurture a huge diversity of talents. With the University's liberal arts education, students are empowered to make sound decisions, adapting to the technological world while still preserving and celebrating humanity.
Professor Chin urged graduates to "think global, act global", "embrace change with open arms", and "develop empathy". He explained that in today's globalised world how people think and act does not merely impact on the local community, but it also has a profound global influence. Therefore, graduates should take the opportunity to embrace new cultures and social norms, and venture out of their comfort zone. This will enable them to unlock their potential and assist with the continuous advancement of society. In addition, they were also encouraged to stay sensitive to other people’s needs and thoughts, and be willing to appreciate diverse values, different skills and opposing opinions. This will help them coexist and contribute to both social and business undertakings.
On behalf of the five honorary graduates, Professor Michael Schudson expressed his gratitude to HKBU. He shared the history of tertiary institutions in the US, and said that departments compete with one another to attract majors, while colleges compete with one another to attract students. However, he said that competition is no more important to higher education than cooperation, and that cooperation extends across colleges and universities worldwide.
Professor Schudson added that the colleges and universities of the world are all engaged in the education of the young; they are all committed to the value of critical thinking; they all seek to transmit an appreciation for the great cultural achievements of humankind, and they all try to ensure that their work is of the highest quality. He said that universities stand as distinctive institutions, and are well placed to bring people together in a world of multiple spheres and multiple faiths.
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Media enquiries: M S Fung of HKBU Communication and Public Relations Office (3411 5261, hkbunews@hkbu.edu.hk).
