Degree Conferment Ceremony for AY 2019 Held

On March 19, 2020 (Thu), the degree conferment ceremony for AY2019 was held at the University of Aizu auditorium. 253 individuals, including 197 students graduating from the Undergraduate School of Computer Science and Engineering, 54 students completing the Master's Program and two students completing the Doctoral program were conferred with degrees that will help them contribute to society in their own way.

At the conferment ceremony, University President OKA Ryuichi conferred diplomas to Undergraduate Representative NIITA Yoshitaka, Master's Program Representative SONOKE Takashi. After President OKA's ceremonial address, students who excelled in academics and research while attending the university were commended.

Undergraduate Representative NIITA Yoshitaka stated his reply address.
I am very proud of what I have learned at the University of Aizu, and at the same time, I will continue to strive to become a person who can contribute to the local and international society.

Attendance of this year's ceremony was limited to degree recipients in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

　Students who were commended are as listed below:

Ladies and Gentlemen, With the days of winter leaving Aizu behind, we await the imminent arrival of spring. Even greater than the pleasure in welcoming the arrival of spring is your pleasure having arrived today at this Degree Conferment Ceremony. On this day, 197 undergraduate students, 54 Master's students, and 2 Doctoral students will be receiving their hard-earned degrees, for which I offer my heartfelt congratulations. Today, I would like to celebrate your graduations along with the members of the faculty and administrative staff in attendance today. However, no one could be happier on this long-awaited day than the friends and family who have supported each of you graduating students in so many ways, some more obvious than others. On behalf of the university, please allow me to express my deepest gratitude to all these family members, friends, and supporters. Last year Aizu commemorated the 150th anniversary of the end of Boshin War. The Aizu Domain was defeated by imperial army comprised primarily of troops from the Choshu and Satsuma Domains. The samurai of Aizu were unprepared to face the reality of an imperial army armed with the latest weaponry, even if it was actually just second-hand weapons from the American Civil War. According to the noted author Shiba Ryotaro, the Japanese government would retain the ability to perceive reality that allowed it to be victorious in the Boshin War at least until the Russo-Japanese War. However, its successes eventually made the it arrogant, causing it to lose this ability. According to him, this was the reason for Japan's defeat in World War II. After World War II, Japan was revitalized by a new reality of producing, consuming, and exporting consumer goods and industrial products, eventually becoming the world's second largest economy in terms of GNP and achieving one of the highest levels of per capita income in the world. This lead to an asset bubble that would eventually burst. In the three decades that followed, Japan would be waning due to its inability to obtain the new reality, that is, core industry and its methods have changed. One of the major factors of this wane is that Japan missed its opportunity to capture the reality of the worldwide digital revolution. We will not be able to stop this wane and its associated issue of increasing poverty without changing this situation. There is high chance you will be responsible for identifying the next digital revolution and allowing Japan to obtain this reality. This is because the core of the digital revolution is software, which is broadly related to many different industrial fields, where you will start working. In other words, those of you who have learned information technology at the University of Aizu should be aware that, whether you like it or not, you will find yourself on the front lines of global digital revolution tasked with revitalizing Japan. In that sense, you are competing against the whole world. You might have heard of the saying "God is in the details." Pieces of work that apparently seem trivial would comprise significant portion of a large scale project and also small event can trigger a revolution. As such, you should assume that the next revolution might have already started. You must prepare for this revolution by learning the history of the development of technology. Set a goal high and diligently continue working on everyday tasks. You might have to struggle to go through trial and error processes in order to achieve the goal. Even though you will be faced with difficulties, I am sure that you can move forward having high hopes for the future. Your graduation today marks the start of the role you will play in society. In closing, please allow me to once again congratulate you all on your graduations and to wish you success in your chosen career paths.

March 19, 2020
Ryuichi OKA,
President,
The University of Aizu