Around one-fifth of the graduates are from overseas countries or Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Professor Fujia Yang, President of UNNC, presided over the graduation ceremony and Provost Professor Nick Miles delivered a welcome speech.
“All your expectations and dreams – whether here in China or elsewhere in the world – will be realised,” said Professor Miles. “2020 was not just a year of disease, separation and sorrow, but also a trial of the human spirit, a test of our adaptability and ingenuity. I am very proud of you, as you should all be proud of yourselves for completing your studies under such trying and testing conditions.”
He also reassured graduates that normality will soon return after Covid-19: “You are the extraordinary class of 2020 – something that you all should never forget.”
During the ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal was awarded to Xuan Feng, Assistant Professor in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, Chiew-Foong Kwong, Assistant Professor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Olivia Lin, DCL Student Support Manager, together with three undergraduates – Kexing Li, Juncheng Shen and Kun Yan.
The President’s Award for Outstanding Graduates was given to three postgraduate students - Zuanxu He, Xiangyu Li and Nan Lu for their exceptional achievements in both the academic realm and extracurricular activities.
Nan Lu, a graduate of Geospatial Engineering with Building Information Modelling (BIM), said that she not only improved his English skills and enhanced her professional knowledge, but she also gained memorable experiences with friends. “Though we were in different countries, we cooperated to finish the project very well and won a BIM prize in Ningbo.”
Zuanxu He, a graduate of International Higher Education, said that her study gave her a feeling of equity and the significance of cooperation. Apart from the lectures, the various academic meetings unlocked her potential passion in academic research and she has decided to enrol in a PhD programme at UNNC. “Do what you ought to do for the time being and do it well. Opportunities are for the prepared.”
Viktor Michel-Häggström, a Swedish graduate of International Management, thinks that the programme is exceptional. “Not only did it equip me with extensive knowledge of a wide range of management disciplines, but most importantly, it gave me an invaluable cross-cultural understanding of the Chinese perspective related to these topics. Without a doubt, the programme will set me apart from others in an increasingly competitive and global jobs market,” he said.
Many graduates have already accepted employment offers from such leading companies as China Securities Co., Ltd. and Ningbo Zhoushan Port Company. Some are heading to domestic enterprises like banks, media and universities such as the University of Science and Technology of China.
Absent students, as well as family and friends worldwide, were able to view the ceremony via a live-stream.