21 April 2021
Reverend Yeung, Colleagues and Students,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the 62nd Baccalaureate Service as we celebrate the achievements of our graduating students on this special day in their lives.
It is also an honour to have Reverend Benjamin Yeung here with us today to offer our graduating students some advice and wisdom on the character traits needed to overcome challenges in our constantly changing world. Thank you, Reverend Yeung. We look forward to your enlightening sermon.
Held near the end of the final year of study, the Baccalaureate Service is a time-honoured tradition that provides us with the opportunity to worship, give praise and express our thanks. This is the first Baccalaureate Service since I started as President, and I am very pleased to be here at this important event.
At HKBU, we have long been known for our liberal arts philosophy, as well as a caring, creative, and global culture. Those key elements run through everything we do. They remain an essential part of our whole person education as we work towards becoming a leading research-led liberal arts university.
We are now living in strange and complicated times. A lot has changed during your university lives, from the way you learn and go about your studies to the nature of life outside of the University. I bet you never thought that your educational journey would include these twists and turns, but you’ve made it. Undaunted by these challenges, you have shown great courage and bravery in the face of difficult moments. We are incredibly proud of what you have achieved considering the circumstances you have faced.
Think of how different you are from yourself four years ago. Over these years, you have learnt first-hand how unpredictable the future can be, but our education has given you the tools to thrive and leverage the opportunities in this ever-changing world.
Beyond your academic knowledge, and the important facts, figures, skills and intellectual arguments that make up your degrees, we also seek to nurture your creativity, adaptability, resilience and empathy. These attributes make you a well-rounded person, and they are more vital than ever as you get ready to embark on your career journey. It is likely that you will now have many different jobs in a career that potentially spans many areas, and our holistic approach will also enable you to cope with the complexities of the modern world.
As you prepare to move into a new phase of your lives, I encourage you to make the most of your last few months on campus. Learn from each other and draw everything you can from the University before you start an exciting new life elsewhere. The connections you make now will be very useful down the line, and you never know when you may bump into people again.
Most importantly, believe in yourselves and be optimistic about the future. With the skills and knowledge you have gained from HKBU you are well placed to thrive in this new era, so go out there and be brave, and seize the opportunities in front of you.
Thank you.