The AY 2023 September Graduate Commencement Ceremony was held from 10:00 on Wednesday, September 20 at the West School Building Hall on Mita Campus. This fall, Keio University conferred a total of 251 graduate degrees (58 doctoral, 175 master's, and 18 professional degrees).
The ceremony began with Vice-President Yoshimitsu Matsuura's graduating class report, followed by President Kohei Itoh conferring degrees on representatives for the graduates of their respective graduate schools. In his commencement address, which was delivered in English, President Itoh expressed his wish for Keio graduates to become people who will shape the common sense of the future. In order to achieve this, he hoped that they would be able to utilize not only Japanese, but also lingua francas such as English, to tell stories that can inspire and touch the hearts of others through public speaking. He then encouraged the graduates to make use of the Mita-kai alumni network to contribute to the progress of our communities and society at large on the world stage so as to create a better, brighter, and more peaceful place. After this speech, Professor Takashi Maeno, a Graduate School Committee Member of the Graduate School of System Design and Management, delivered a congratulatory address on behalf of Keio's faculty and staff members. The event closed with a performance of Keio's anthem, the "Juku-ka," by the Wagner Society's men's and women's choirs.
The September Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony was also held on Mita Campus the same day at 14:00. There, Keio University conferred a total of 388 degrees to graduating students. (10 from the Faculty of Letters, 125 from the Faculty of Economics, 99 from the Faculty of Law, 4 from the Faculty of Business and Commerce, 6 from the Faculty of Science and Technology, 61 from the Faculty of Policy Management, and 83 from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies.)
Following the graduating class report, President Itoh presented the student representative with their diploma. After this, Professor Koichiro Tanaka of the Faculty of Policy Management delivered a congratulatory address on behalf of the faculty and staff. Then, after the student representative gave a final speech, the choirs who had performed at the Graduate Commencement Ceremony concluded the ceremony with another performance of the Juku-ka.
Blessed with fine weather, the Mita Campus was overflowing with smiles and laughter from the graduates, their families, and their friends as they shared memories and took pictures of their newly obtained degrees.
The ceremony was also streamed live on the internet for those who were unable to attend. You can view the archived livestream of the ceremony below:
AY2023 September Graduate Commencement Ceremony
AY2023 September Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony