Welcome home! New WKUers!

Wenzhou-Kean University opened its doors to nearly 800 freshmen at a joyous Convocation Ceremony held on the Front Lawn of the University on Saturday night.

The school leaders, faculty and staff members together with undergraduate freshmen and the first cohort of 27 graduate freshmen gathered to celebrate this significant moment of their lives. The event was staged after the raging COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Wenzhou and it unfolded virtually and in-person in open air to ensure the safety of the WKU community. Parents could attend the event via broadcast live on Bilibili. Vice Chancellor Dr. XU Shuli presided over the event.

The Opening Ceremony kicked off with a well-choreographed dance performance, igniting the evening’s atmosphere, followed by the national anthems of the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America.

In his opening address, Chancellor WANG Li welcomed freshmen from 19 provinces, and another 12 students from Taiwan, Hong Kong regions and countries like America, Korea etc. He said the event was even more auspicious as it heralded the presence of the inaugural cohort of students of the Master’s degrees in Biology, TESOL as well as students of the Doctoral program in Education Leadership. This underscored the rapid progress of the University and represented a milestone in its development.

He further stated, 2020 was a year with unprecedented challenges. Covid-19 has changed our lives, international relations and thrown us into huge uncertainties, but he believed the current international situation makes it even clearer that the fate of humankind has been closely interwoven and the trend of globalization is irreversible. One should rise to these challenges with acknowledging three keywords, including: Internationalization, Cooperation and Contribution which were the fundamentals of WKU education as well. Dr. WANG concluded his speech by encouraging all youngsters to be pioneers in the global setting, to be advocates of partnership and contributors of society.

Acting Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Eric Yang applauded the extraordinary commitment demonstrated by the WKU community in the face of the global pandemic. He praised the efforts of the faculty during the spring semester for developing and delivering 473 courses online. He was delighted that students made a seamless transition from face-to-face to online learning. He hopes this kind of spirit will be inherited by new WKUers.

The Deans of the four Colleges including Business & Public Management, Liberal Arts， Architecture & Design, Science and Technology delivered motivational video addresses to the incoming freshmen. In a memorable speech, Prof. Aloysius Wong of Biology representing the College of Science and Technology, challenged the freshmen to look beyond to their future careers as entrepreneurs, researchers, scientists and academicians. He concluded emphatically with “Are you ready to embark on this adventurous journey?”

The event saw the attendance of the alumni as well as keynote speaker WANG Yongfu, who serves as a lecturer in Computer Science at WKU making a witty speech entitled “Study harder, Play hard.” He reminisced on his first impressions about WKU in 2012 and his metamorphosis from an introvert to a confident graduate. He likened university to a crossroad and an important milestone and told the audience to study harder and maintain high academic integrity.

The ceremony also featured presentations by students. Lead singer Su Ying and her group gave a rousing performance of the WKU anthem before delivering her message of encouragement. She was followed by the President of Student Government GONG Junzhe, and Student Board of Trustees NI Peipei, who shared testimonies of growth and development after they stepped into university. GONG Junzhe advised freshmen to make a detailed 4-year plan to pave the way for their academic success and future growth.

Approaching to the end, New President of Kean University, Lamont Repollet, sent his warmest welcome to new students via video. “The Covid-19 pandemic required all of us to adapt and reimagine what a university education is all about. We rose to the challenges. We all did. We learned that our students’ desire to learn, to move forward, to accomplish more, cannot be stopped.” He reminded them that they “carry the hopes and dreams of their own and their parents, grandparents and all of those who came before you”, let those hopes and dreams lift you up.

To conclusion, the host today vice chancellor Dr. XU Shuli inspired all attendees to equip with curiosity, it is the key to advanced learning, research and discovery. Right here, at campus, world class thinkers, creators and producers will guild you out of questions of vexing complexity. He told, the key to success is to reject the easy path and follow your commitment to your fellow team members and fellow humans. “Do not aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference”, he reminded.

In the coming days, these bright and ambitious freshmen will begin the Pre-University Intensive English Program (PIEP) before hybrid instruction officially launches for the new Fall 2020 semester. The University’s remaining students will return to campus in a staggered schedule.

Writer:Alisa LAI

Proofreader: Abbigail Ajim