2021 Graduation Ceremony/Completion Ceremony Speech
This is the speech at the 2021 graduation and completion ceremony.
Speech President
Congratulations to all of you who have graduated and completed your studies today. I am truly pleased that we are all able to celebrate this auspicious day together.
In addition, we would normally have all the graduates, those who have completed their studies, as well as their families and friends, gather together to congratulate you in person, but as the COVID-19 problem is still unpredictable, we will hold the ceremony with a limited number of people at the venue, and we ask for your understanding. The impact on daily life for more than two years has been enormous, and it still weighs heavily on everyone on the planet. You were no exception to this, and you must have been forced to endure various inconveniences, from university activities such as lectures, practical training, and research activities leading up to graduation and completion, to your daily lives. It is truly the result of your efforts that you have overcome such difficulties to reach this day. At the same time, please do not forget to be grateful to Faculty Member, friends, and family who have supported your research activities and life so far.
Now, at this turning point of your graduation, I would like you to take a fresh look at the various problems the world is currently facing, think about what we should do from now on, or what kind of technology or social reforms can help us overcome these problems, and clearly draw up your own ideas. In many cases, the answer is not immediately obvious, and the solution is not something that can be proposed immediately. However, it all starts with being aware of the problem and concretizing your ideas for solving it, and speaking to people in your own words. Then, if you think deeply, you will realize that what seems to be happening in a faraway world is connected to the events around you and your own actions, and you must recognize that you are also partly responsible for them. It is very important for you to grasp these unclear situations and connect them to your next actions.
The same can be said about the development of new science and technology and social systems. The importance of thinking about how to bring to fruition the enormous potential that still lies dormant deep within and use it to solve the world's problems is rapidly being recognized, for example, in the world of creating new industries based on science and technology. Even technologies that are not clear at this point in time as to how they will be useful or how they will be connected to solving the world's problems can and will be greatly transformed by encountering a new perspective and great imagination. Even if the results of steady research in a single laboratory or a technology honed in a small company in town one day achieve a major development that changes the world, this may be natural, considering that the power to show this kind of future has attracted people who support it and an environment that encourages growth, and has led to development through the hands of passionate people.
Furthermore, whether in academic activities or in the various jobs we do in the world, our true goal should not be to simply think about claiming that we are right and winning at something, but to discover what is truly important and a new world, to inspire those around us to move in that direction, and as a result, to help the world move in a better direction. By recognizing that we are not always right, by recognizing our own shortcomings and imperfections, and by acknowledging the superior ideas of others, we can actually realize what is truly important and gain the courage to accomplish something significant with confidence. I believe that those who have this kind of conviction and can look at things broadly can obtain true freedom and turn their thoughts into reality.
It is my hope that all of you who are graduating and completing your studies on this special day today will use your learning at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology as a stepping stone to become people of great capacity who are able to move people's hearts.
I would like to conclude my remarks by wishing you all my heartfelt success and prosperity in the future.
Congratulations today.
March 25, 2022
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Chief Kazuhiro Chiba
Notification of the President
To all graduates, congratulations on your graduation today. It is my sincere pleasure to welcome you together on this glorious day.
Although we would normally invite all graduates, as well as your families and friends, to gather in one place to offer our congratulations in person, the situation with the new coronavirus infection remains unpredictable, so we will hold the ceremony with a limited number of people in the hall. We hope that you will understand this. The impact on our daily lives over the past two years has been enormous and continues to weigh heavily on all people on the planet. I am sure that this has been no exception for all of you, and that you have had to cope with inconveniences in many ways, from lectures, practical training, research activities, and other university activities leading up to your graduation and completion of your studies, to your daily lives. The fact that you have been able to overcome such difficulties and reach this day is truly a result of your efforts. At the same time, please do not forget to express your gratitude to your faculty members, friends, and family who have supported you in your research activities and daily life .
Now, on this milestone occasion of your graduation, I would like you to take a fresh look at the various problems facing the world today, consider what you should do in the future, and what kind of technological and social reforms will enable you to overcome these problems, and draw a firm vision of your own. In many cases, the answers will not be immediately apparent, nor will the solutions be immediate. However, it all starts with an awareness of the problem and the conception of a solution to the issue in concrete form and speaking to people in your own words. And if we think deeply, we must recognize that what seems to be happening in the far-off world is connected to events around us and to our own actions, and that we bear some of the responsibility for these events. It is very important for all of you to grasp this unclear picture and connect it to your next actions.
The same is true for the development of new science, technology, and social systems. The importance of thinking about how we can bring to fruition the tremendous potential that still lies deep within and help solve the world's problems is rapidly being recognized, for example, in the world of creating new industries based on science and technology. At the present time, we do not know exactly how useful technology will be, or how it will be connected to solving the world's problems, but when we encounter a new point of view or a great conceptual power, we will be able to change its form, and that is something that can be changed drastically. Even if it is the result of steady research in a single laboratory or a technology refined in a small company in a small town , it will one day develop into something that will change the world. Perhaps this is not surprising when you think about it.
In addition, in your academic activities, as well as in your various other work in the world, do not just think about being right and winning something, but discover what is really important and a new world, inspire people around you to go there, and as a result, the world will move in a better direction. This should be the real goal. By recognizing our own inadequacies and imperfections, and by appreciating the superior ideas of others, we can realize what is really important and gain the courage to accomplish great and meaningful things with confidence. I believe that it is those who are able to hold such beliefs and look at things from a broad perspective who will be able to achieve true freedom, to connect their own thoughts with the realization of their own ideas .
I hope that all of you who have completed your studies at TUAT today will use your studies at TUAT as a springboard to become a person with a large capacity to move people's hearts and minds.
I would like to conclude my speech by wishing you all the very best in your future endeavors and development.
I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to all of you today.
March 25, 2022
Kazuhiro Chiba
President of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology