Professor Fujia Yang, President of UNNC, presided over the first graduation ceremony and Provost Professor Nick Miles delivered a welcome speech.
Aged 85, Professor Yang insists on attending graduation ceremonies each year. “Graduation ceremony is the only time in students’ lives – I must give my best wishes to graduates of UNNC in person.”
In his speech, Professor Yang commented that it is difficult to establish a University like such – the first Sino-foreign university. “Our University has developed well over the past years. That’s why, taking this opportunity, I would like to thank all the parents, for cultivating our excellent students. Academic staff are very important element of a successful university, so are the parents.”
He also encouraged the graduates: “Please trust in yourself that the University has prepared you fully for the career path in the future, and I believe that you have received enough knowledge to become competitive in the job market. Therefore, in terms of your further study or future career, remember always to pursue excellence.”
Professor Miles noted in his speech that we are presently living through a tumultuous time in world history, and gave special mention to all online graduates, international students watching the livestreaming from all around the world.
“We may have missed your presence here on campus, but we’re confident that you’ve not missed out on the latter stages of your studies, thanks to your determination and the quality of our online teaching. You made it to the finish line in the face of the most devastating international pandemic in more than a century, you kept your resilience, your calm, your focus.”
He said: “Whichever path you ultimately choose to take, I’m confident that the 'Nottingham spirit' will reside in you for some time to come.”
According to latest statistics, as of 5 July 2021, 1,634 or 96.1% of the graduating students responded to the undergraduate destination survey. Among the final-year students who sought further study, over 25% were accepted by world top 10 universities and over 80% are heading to top 100 universities; those choosing to pursue further study domestically are admitted to renowned universities nationwide, including Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Wuhan University and Beijing Normal University.
26 graduates were offered scholarships by leading world universities including University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, New York University, and Imperial College London.
It is also noteworthy that among those seeking for further study, over half of the first cohort of Aerospace Engineering graduates are admitted to world top 10 universities in the field of aerospace engineering; 50% of the first cohort of Chemistry graduates receive admission letters from world top 10 universities; all of the first class of Statistics students have been offered places at world top 100 universities.
Among the graduates who are directly employed, approximately 74% were offered jobs by Fortune 500 or leading world or Chinese companies in the industries they represent, such as Byte Dance, Boke, Unilever, L’Oreal and KPMG.
During the ceremony, friends and family of students who were unable to attend in person sent their best wishes via various social media channels, congratulating the graduates on starting a new journey in their lives.