30 June 2022
President Tang, distinguished guests, graduates,
I would like to warmly welcome everyone attending the graduation ceremony today. The pandemic has once again prevented us from gathering in person, but I am delighted to be able to celebrate this day of joy with you virtually.
To all of our UIC graduates, I would like to offer my most sincere congratulations to you on successfully completing your degree. I salute every one of you, because it has not been an easy few years.
The pandemic has disrupted campus life, class activities, face-to-face gatherings and international exchange. Despite the troubles and constraints, you have managed to overcome them and adapt to the changes. You have demonstrated diligence, dedication and resilience. It is truly an extraordinary achievement for you to attain your degree under such difficult circumstances. When you look back, you will find that you have come a long way at UIC.
Graduation means you are entering another stage in life where you can show the world who you are and make your own mark. The possibilities out there are infinite and exciting! However, the world we live in today is by no means a utopia where everyone lives in perfect bliss and everything is handed over on a silver platter. Our world is really not in good shape.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues and its impact lingers on. The geopolitics and conflicts among nations have led to an economic downturn, humanitarian crises, an energy shortage, and food supply issues. Compounding the situation is the acceleration of climate change.
The list of problems goes on. We may ask ourselves: What can we do to save this planet? How can we give hope to the world? We urgently need to implement changes. We need intelligent and innovative solutions, and we need them as soon as possible.
As UIC graduates and global citizens, you have the power and the ability to be the “silver lining” in these dark and gloomy times. A silver lining often appears in the sky behind dark clouds, and it represents a ray of hope in a difficult situation. You may be fresh graduates, but with the liberal arts education you have received at UIC, I believe you are well prepared and equipped to embrace the challenges out there and find ways to resolve the problems in this world.
Liberal arts education is about nurturing all-round individuals who can think critically and use their creativity to make a difference. At UIC, apart from the knowledge and skills relevant to specific subjects, we emphasise the importance of building your soft skills and personal qualities. We don’t just want you to become a learned person, but also someone who is curious, diligent, creative, compassionate and adaptable, so that you may apply your knowledge and skills in purposeful and meaningful ways.
To illustrate the importance of being an all-round person, let me share the story of Sir Isaac Newton. He is remembered as one of the greatest physicists of all time, and yet he was also a mathematician, an astronomer, a theologian and an author. Not long after he obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Cambridge in 1665, the University had to close in response to the Great Plague that was spreading in England at that time, and Newton had to work from his home in the countryside. To us who have lived through COVID since 2020, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Despite the plague, Newton adapted to the new environment and kept himself intellectually busy. He continued to work on mathematical problems, carrying out experiments with the prisms that he had acquired, and he also spent time checking out the apple tree outside his window. Yes, that’s the apple tree that you have probably all heard of. All of these moments paved the way for the subsequent invention of calculus, the creation of his theories on optics, and the discoveries that led to his famous Laws of Motion. To me, as a physicist, gravity is the most important of all the laws of nature, and one of the most amazing discoveries in science. On the one hand, it holds our universe and planets together, but gravity is also a powerful force that directs change, and it has forever re-shaped how humankind understands the world and the universe.
For sure, Newton was smart and knowledgeable, but it took more than just intellect for him to be successful and achieve what he did. Newton himself highlighted the role of diligence and the ability to think critically, as he once said: “If others would think as hard as I did, then they would get similar results.” He also expressed how he was driven by his sense of curiosity, pointing out that “no great discovery was ever made without a bold guess.” Newton’s story illustrates how soft skills and qualities are just as crucial, for they provide the conditions and grounding necessary for intellectual inquiry and problem-solving. Eventually, Newton’s contributions enlightened the world.
If Newton sounds a bit remote to you both in terms of time and achievements, let’s see how my colleagues at Hong Kong Baptist University showcase their expertise and caring DNA. At the beginning of the fifth wave of the outbreak in Hong Kong, they fought against COVID-19 day and night. Our team of Chinese medicine practitioners worked tirelessly to offer clinical treatments on the frontline, whether at the telemedicine centre or the holding centre set up by the Government. Our experts in counselling provided emotional support to COVID patients and their carers who were facing huge psychological pressure. Our supporting staff pulled together swiftly and coordinated the supplies and manpower in support of the Chinese medicine online consultation service. By putting our heads and hearts together, we turned herbs into hope, pain into power, and sickness into strength. We drew on our sense of innovation when we conceived our treatment methods and strategies, and our adaptability helped us find ways to operate when we had limited resources. It was our diligence and compassion that enabled us to sustain our services to protect lives amid the pandemic.
As you enter a post-university chapter, no matter what your specialisation is, and no matter which domain you will be working in, don’t forget that you can be the silver lining that people can look up to. Be the ray of hope that you would like others and you to see. Be ready to take part in changing this problem-stricken world for the better. In the years ahead of you, take advantage of the liberal arts education you received at UIC and contribute towards a brighter future shared by all humanity. I would certainly expect nothing less from a UIC graduate!
Once again, congratulations to all of you, and I wish you the best of luck and every success in your future!