Graduating in the university’s centennial year, the NPUST Class of 2024 entered the Shuyun Hall at 9:00 AM on June 15 to a tune that was composed some 56 years ago. The song was the school anthem, and the guitar club, which hoped to bid the graduates a cheerful farewell—rich and full of meaning—re-interpreted the song to give it a bright and lively affection. This year, a total of 2,750 students graduated from 45 departments and 6 colleges including Agriculture, Engineering, Management, Humanities, International Studies, and Veterinary Medicine. Among these, 24 students graduated from doctoral programs, 549 from master’s programs, and 2,177 from four-year bachelor’s programs. An additional 92 students also graduated from the senior university. NPUST’s president, Chin-Lung Chang, conducted the tassel turning ceremony and presented diplomas to the graduating representatives. He also issued the completion certificates to the graduates of the senior university. During the ceremony, outstanding students were awarded for Academic Excellence, Excellence in Conduct, Graduate Research Achievements, and Sports Excellence, and one student was presented with the national Presidential Education Award.
In his speech, President Chin-Lung Chang noted that for a full century the school has been developing according to a spirit of “benevolence toward people, care for nature, and seeking truth from facts”. According to this philosophy, countless talent has been cultivated with humanistic qualities and a scientific spirit over the past century. NPUST’s achievements are highlighted by the awards it has received at home and abroad, such as the GreenMetric World University Ranking, where it has ranked first in the country for 10 consecutive years, and CommonWealth Magazine’s “2024 USR University Citizen” awards, where it won first place in the public technical and vocational university group. The president said he expects that as the students enter the workplace, they will carry the school’s philosophy with them, and with kindness and honesty towards others, they will continue to develop with the times. He also expressed hopes that as the AI whirlwind sweeps the world, they will become the kind of professionals who can make good use of the technology, so that they will not be replaced by it—and at the same time, they will cultivate diverse professional capabilities which will allow them to excel in their future workplaces. Finally, President Chang encouraged everyone to have courage to dream bigger—to improve themselves, find their own unique characteristics, potential and value, and let themselves shine.
Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi also shared some words of encouragement with the graduates. She said, “today I came to participate in NPUST’s 100th anniversary graduation and to express my blessings to the 2,750 graduates. Congratulations to everyone for entering into the next journey of life. This year’s graduates began university in 2022, when the whole world was facing the challenges of the COVID-19. After two difficult years of life with masks and epidemic prevention measures, I believe you will be more resilient as you experience various challenges in the future. I would like to thank NPUST for being a strong supporter of Pingtung and I hope that the graduates will be like their university, and become the most influential people!”
Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi also shared some words of encouragement with the graduates. She said, “today I came to participate in NPUST’s 100th anniversary graduation and to express my blessings to the 2,750 graduates. Congratulations to everyone for entering into the next journey of life. This year’s graduates began university in 2022, when the whole world was facing the challenges of the COVID-19. After two difficult years of life with masks and epidemic prevention measures, I believe you will be more resilient as you experience various challenges in the future. I would like to thank NPUST for being a strong supporter of Pingtung and I hope that the graduates will be like their university, and become the most influential people!”
