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Message for the 2023 Fall Graduation Ceremony

Congratulations to all the graduating undergraduate and graduate students. I extend our heartfelt greetings on behalf of Niigata University.

For the past three and a half years, we have experienced the devastation brought by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which was a "totally unexpected" event. Particularly during the first year of the outbreak, it suddenly deprived us of our pre-COVID way of life, causing significant changes in not only medical and social structures but also the world of education. As a result, most of your on-campus activities and classes had to be changed to online. Foreign students, in particular, suffered the most, with many of them unable to return to their home countries or to come to Japan. We, the university officials, have tried our very best to maximize students’ learning opportunities. It was fortunate that, from the second of the outbreak onward, we could gradually shift from online to in-person classes. Japan as well as the rest of the world is on its way back to normal. It is my extreme pleasure that you are here with us to celebrate your graduation, and I am delighted to hold this graduation ceremony at the Library Hall today.

It must have been trying for you to adjust to campus life amid the pandemic, but I am confident that this experience will be a great asset for your future growth as you will all face challenges in life—we all do whether big or small. You will all encounter unexpected events as you go on your journey, but I want you to be brave and carry on with the confidence of having survived these difficult times.

Now, there are three things I want to talk about as a farewell address for graduating students.

The first thing is about Niigata University’s philosophy: "Autonomy and Creativity." Do you all remember the philosophy? "Autonomy" literally means to behave according to your own norms, and "Creativity" means to produce something new. Put another way, the spirit of "Autonomy and Creativity" means not to imitate other people and to be in the habit of making your own observations, discerning the facts with your own eyes, and making correct judgments. This also means possessing the "genuine strength" of resilience and suppleness, just like supple but unbreakable branches of a willow tree, which is the symbol of Niigata City. I believe that you will graduate from Niigata University armed with the philosophy of "Autonomy and Creativity" and "genuine strength" of resilience and suppleness.

You will live in the times of ever-evolving globalization. Meanwhile, a new world will be built in an accelerated manner, combining the real, physical space with a cyber space utilizing IoT, robots, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and other new technologies. The future will be created through social innovations that combine knowledge in natural sciences and that in the humanities and social sciences. There will certainly be circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic hit we have experienced, and unpredictable natural disasters, and you will have to open the way to the future on your own. I sincerely hope that you will make a steady move forward, embracing the spirit of "Autonomy and Creativity."

Secondly, I would like to talk about Niigata University’s vision for the future. In late February the year before last, the university formulated its vision for the next 10 years. As we head toward the near future of 2030, becoming "a front-runner of future life innovation" was defined as the mission for the university to accomplish.

"Life innovation" here is not confined to the fields of medical care, health, and welfare, but is also innovation that creates new values and meaning of our "existence," "whole life," "way of living," "the ideal society," and "involvement with the environment" as well as the bases of these: the earth and nature as we live through the 21st century. In other words, Niigata University aims at "life innovation" that brings happiness to humanity. This is something we can share with you, our graduating students. It is my sincere wish that, even after graduation, you will continue to be active in society to become a front-runner of future life innovation with this mission in mind.

The third point is about your bond with Niigata University. You are graduating or completing your studies today, but please remember your bond with the university. Next year, Niigata University will commemorate its 75th anniversary since it was established as a national university under the new university system, and various events are being planned to commemorate this. To improve Niigata University for the future, we are reviewing our campus master plans. We would like you, as alumni, to watch over the activities of Niigata University as well as even participating in various ways. With the era of reskilling just around the corner, you will have opportunities to relearn and learn new things in your life. When such a time comes, please come to study at Niigata University.

These are the three things I wanted to talk about.

Dear students, Niigata University is your alma mater and your home. Stride ahead with the pride that you have studied at this university. Niigata University will continue to watch over you, wishing your success in your future career. Please always remember the philosophy of Niigata University. Let me close this message by reiterating my hope that you will cherish your bond with the university wherever you are as you play an active role as front-runner of future life innovation. To this aim, please maintain your intellectual curiosity even after your graduation and never forget to keep on learning. I wish you a lot of happiness ahead.

Congratulations, once again, on your graduation.

September 20, 2023
USHIKI Tatsuo, M.D., Ph.D.
President, Niigata University