Tsinghua SEM has graduated 972 students this summer as 213 undergraduates, 114 graduate students, 34Ph.D students, 419 MBAs, and 192 EMBAs have accomplished all the degree requirements and received graduation certificates and diplomas. 61 students from other departments of Tsinghua University received their second bachelor degrees in economics at Tsinghua SEM.

The commencement of Tsinghua University for 2008 was held at the Tsinghua auditorium on July 5, where Professor Gu Binglin, President of Tsinghua University awarded degrees and graduation certificates to the new graduates from Tsinghua SEM.

On July 4, Tsinghua SEM hosted a farewell party for all the graduates from the School. Executive Associate Dean Chen Guoqing briefed the participants on details of graduation this year. Associate Dean Yang Bin announced the name list of 2008 Tsinghua SEM excellent graduates.

Wei Ziru and Bai Xueshi made presentations at the session respectively as this year's graduate representatives of Tsinghua SEM's undergraduate and post-graduate programs.

Student speaker Wei Ziru

Student speaker Bai Xueshi

In his address at the farewell party, Dean Qian Yingyi recalled the time he spent 30 years ago at Tsinghua. In particular, Dean Qian mentioned a poem he wrote in 1978 when he just became a Tsinghua student majoring in mathematics. The poem described scenes of a school reunion taking place 30 years later.

And Dean Qian remarked, “I felt I was kind of idealistic then when I re-read this poem after 30 years passed. But I think one should be imaginative to some extent. As Albert Einstein said, imagination is more important than knowledge. That’s because the knowledge is limited to the known world, while imagination extends to the unknown world. You learned a great deal of knowledge at Tsinghua. As time evolves, some of the knowledge could become out of date; some of them could be proved incorrect. After years, when you recall your time spent at Tsinghua, you may feel that what benefited you most is not the contents of any specific course Tsinghua offered, instead, it is the perspective to view a problem and the way of thinking which you cultivated at Tsinghua; it is the curiosity and imagination you fostered at Tsinghua; and it is the teachers and classmates you got known of at Tsinghua. ”

(Dean Qian speaks at the commencement)

At the end of his address, Dean Qian expressed his encouragement and expectation on Tsinghua SEM’s graduates.

"The coming thirty years would be full of excitement and challenges. Because of your efforts, China may come up to the first place in the world in terms of economic aggregate……And you would be the creators of such a milestone in the history of the nation. So you are luckier than me", said Dean Qian.

"Your persistent struggles and efforts are required in order to achieve this. You are Tsinghua University's graduates; you are Tsinghua SEM's graduates. I myself, therefore, have the highest expectation on you all. From the stories I told you today about 30 years ago, my message could be conveyed here, that is, I hope you could be more imaginative, and try to make some contributions beyond imagination. "

“I would like to send my invitation to all of you here. Come back to Tsinghua SEM after 30 years, and report your achievements to your mother university!”

“I will look forward to your coming back wherever I will be then.”