April 4, 2023
On Thursday, March 23, the 2022 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony was held at the Hiyoshi Commemorative Hall on Hiyoshi Campus, where 6,220 students from the 10 undergraduate faculties embarked on a new chapter in their lives. Among the graduates were 303 Correspondence Course students. Participation in the ceremony was once again limited to graduates and a few related parties. The proceedings were also streamed online.
The graduation ceremony was held in two parts. The morning ceremony was held for students from the Faculty of Economics, the School of Medicine, the Faculty of Science and Technology, the Faculty of Policy Management, the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, and the Faculty of Pharmacy. The afternoon ceremony was held for the Faculty of Letters, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Business and Commerce. Keio alumni who were celebrating the 25-year anniversary of their own graduation attended the morning proceedings to congratulate the new graduates.
The ceremonies began with the "Juku-ka," Keio University's alma mater song, followed by Vice-President Yoshimitsu Matsuura's presentation of the Graduating Class Report. President Itoh then conferred diplomas and commendations for academic excellence and delivered an address to the new graduates. In his speech, President Itoh chose "Common Sense," as the main theme, discussing how he hopes to see students contribute to society on the world stage by "using the common sense we have now to do what needs to be done," and subsequently "creating the common sense of the future."
At the morning ceremony, Chiaki Mukai, the Vice President of the Tokyo University of Science, then gave a congratulatory address at the morning graduation ceremony. Minori Teramae, a sixth-year student at the Faculty of Pharmacy responded with a speech on behalf of the graduates.
At the afternoon ceremony, once President Itoh had finished his speech, Noriyuki Shikanai, a partner at Kyobashi Law Office gave a congratulatory address on behalf of alumni. Yoshihiro Kinoshita, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Letters responded with a speech on behalf of the graduates.
The ceremonies were concluded by singing the "Keio Sanka."
Apart from the main ceremonies, undergraduate faculties held their own functions to distribute diplomas to students. Ceremonies were also held to recognize recipients of the Koizumi Sports Encouragement Award and honor students.
Likewise, on Tuesday, March 28, Keio University held its Graduate Commencement Ceremony at the same venue. This year, degrees were conferred on a total of 1,582 students from across the 14 graduate schools (228 doctoral degrees, 1,221 master's degrees, and 133 professional degrees).
The ceremony began with Vice-President Matsuura's Graduating Class Report, followed by Keio's president conferring degrees on representatives for the respective graduate schools. After the president finished his address to the graduates, Shoichi Maeda from Keio University's Graduate School of Health Management gave a congratulatory address on behalf of the faculty members. The ceremony ended with a choral rendition of theJuku-ka.
Both days at Hiyoshi Campus were sprinkled with rain and cherry blossoms as well as smiles from the new graduates and alumni.
Photo: Kishi Takeshi and Susumu Ishito