The Graduation Ceremony and Degree Awarding Ceremony for the First Graduates of the NJIT-UO Cooperative Program (the Sino-Finnish Cooperative Program) were held in the lecture hall of the Tianyin Conference Center at NJIT on the afternoon of June 8, 2022. Shi Guojun (Secretary of the Party Committee of NJIT), Shi Jinfei (Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President of NJIT) and Pu Lijie (Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of NJIT) attended the ceremony along with the Joint Management Committee of the Sino-Finnish Cooperative Program, the Joint Monitoring Committee of Teaching Quality, the Joint Management Committee of Student Affairs, special guests and faculty members while representatives from University of Oulu sent their best wishes to the graduates via video call.

As the national anthem played, the ceremony started with president Shi Jinfei’s opening speech. He congratulated the graduates, their parents and the faculty for their commitment. He said that there had been substantial progress in teaching practices, personnel exchange, academic achievements and the recruitment of talented students since NJIT and the UO’s collaboration began. The “4+0” Sino-Finnish Cooperative Program is a pioneering initiative that grants joint bachelor’s degrees to students who have completed their four-year courses in China. The first graduates from this program have received a practice-oriented education enriched by internationally recognized educational methods and resources, covering success in national contests (e.g., RoboMasters). Over half of the graduates have received scholarships and nearly 20 of them will pursue post-graduate degrees in the top 200 institutes in the world. “Aspiration”, “Wisdom” and “Responsibility” were characteristics expected of the graduates by President Shi. He expected that the graduates would build on their experience at NJIT, develop a global vision, achieve their potential and contribute to resolving the issues of our times.

Rector Jouko Niinimäki of University of Oulu congratulated the graduates via a video call where he said the program was an opportunity for Chinese students to experience Finnish-style classes and highlighted Sino-Finnish cooperation in education. He expected that the graduates would subsequently progress in their careers and that the four-year course experience would be beneficial not only for their careers but to develop a closer relationship between China and Finland.

Pu Lijie (Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of NJIT) announced the list of honor graduates who received awards from Shi Guojun (Secretary of the Party Committee of NJIT). President Shi Jinfei presented the diplomas to the graduates and the enjoyable moment was shared with the faculty and students on site. Representatives of the Chinese faculty, Tian Yuan (School of International Education), Markku Oivo and Jouni Markkula (Representatives of the University of Oulu), as well as Liu Ying (representative of 2022 graduates), also spoke about their sweet memories of the 4-year campus life, and their emotions at completion as well as their expectations about their future success.

While listening to the familiar melody of Jasmine Flower, photos of each graduate in his or her academic dress were projected onto the screen. Affected by the solemn yet warm atmosphere, the graduates said they would always remember the affection and good wishes from NJIT and UO.