The Fall 2019 Graduate Commencement Ceremony was held from 10:00 on Tuesday, September 17 at the West School Building Hall on Mita Campus. This fall, Keio University conferred a total of 260 graduate degrees (85 doctoral, 154 master’s, and 21 professional degrees).
The ceremony began with Provost Aoyama’s graduating class report, and continued with President Haseyama’s conferment of diplomas on the representatives of each graduate school. In his commencement address, President Haseyama touched on the recent state of society and spoke about the importance of combining logical thinking and flexible intelligence when facing the unknown, as well as the significance of integrating the sciences and humanities. Afterward, Professor Susumu Tomooka, a committee member of the Graduate School of Business and Commerce, delivered a congratulatory address on behalf of Keio’s faculty and staff members, and the ceremony concluded with the singing of the Alma Mater, "The Juku-ka."
The Fall Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony was also held at the same venue from 14:00 on the same day with a total of 263 graduates (106 from the Faculty of Law, 14 from the Faculty of Science and Technology, 68 from the Faculty of Policy Management, and 75 from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies).
Following the graduating class report, President Haseyama conferred a diploma on a student representative. In his commencement address, President Haseyama talked about Fukuzawa’s principles of "interactions among individuals" and "practical learning," and he also expressed his hope that the graduates will now go on to become active members of society, while making use of what they learned in the free atmosphere of Keio University that develops a spirit of "independence and self-respect." Professor Isao Yanagimachi of the Faculty of Policy Management then delivered a congratulatory address on behalf of the faculty and staff members, and this was followed by a student representing the graduating class who gave an address in English. The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Alma Mater, "The Juku-ka."
Blessed with good weather, the graduates were seen sharing their joy with their families and friends and taking commemorative photographs with their diploma in hand. Many international students were also present at the ceremony, giving these events a rich international flavor.