On Monday, March 25, the 2019 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony was held at the Exhibition Halls of Pacifico Yokohama, where 6,324 students from the 10 undergraduate faculties began a new chapter in their lives. Among the graduates were 235 Correspondence Course students.
Similar to last year, the ceremony was again held at an external venue as work to rebuild the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall continues. It was a large-scale event attended by about 12,000 people, including the graduates, their families, and invited Keio alumni.
The ceremony began with the singing of the Alma Mater "The Juku-ka," and following Provost Tojiro Aoyama’s Graduating Class Report, President Akira Haseyama conferred awards and diplomas and gave his address with words of encouragement to Keio’s newest graduates. In his speech, President Haseyama expressed his hopes of the graduates becoming individuals who will make decisions and act on their own initiative while taking responsibility for their actions, as well as having a spirit of persistence that enables them to recover from setbacks, converting failures into success through creativity and originality. Next, representing the Keio alumni, Mr. Katsuaki Watanabe, former president of Toyota Motor Corporation, gave his congratulatory address in which he spoke of "integrity" and wanting the graduates to be individuals who act in a rational manner. Afterwards, Takumi Ito, a new graduate of the Faculty of Science and Technology, gave a speech on behalf of the graduating class. Many Keio alumni celebrating 25 years after graduation were also in attendance and watched over the new graduates as they set out to start a new life.
After the ceremony, various events including the diploma conferment by each faculty, a reception for the 25th anniversary Keio alumni, the Keio Athletic Association Shinzo Koizumi Award celebrations, and a ceremony for honors students were held at adjoining venues such as the Conference Center of Pacifico Yokohama and Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel.
Under the warm spring sunshine and with the view of the ocean from Yokohama in the background, the graduates were seen taking commemorative photographs with their family and friends and fully enjoying the final moments of their university life.