The commencement for Class 2011 took place in the early evening of June 11^th and was held on the campus sport field. For the first time, the grand tour of the campus included a passage through the Tsing Hua Gate symbolizing the graduates are entering their future careers as Tsing Hua People, proficient professionals and devoted individuals who are ready to do their best for the common good of our society.

President Lih J. Chen opened the ceremony by congratulating graduating students for having successfully completed their degree requirements. He went on to remind them that having completed their degrees at NTHU is indeed an extraordinary accomplishment because they are now part of the glorious and celebrated legacy of Tsing Hua. President Chen proudly recounted the remarkable improvements that NTHU has achieved in university rankings, both worldwide and regional. He emphasized the fact that such encouraging successes came from the collective efforts of faculty members and staff, but students' performance has also been a very important factor in the continuous ascent of NTHU. He proudly pointed out that during the past year; NTHU students have won many significant awards and recognitions in Taiwan and abroad. For instance, of the eight Presidential Education Awards presented this year nationwide, two were awarded to NTHU students. They are Ms. Ching-Chieh Chuang, a second-year graduate student in the Master Program of the Dept. of Computer Science and Ms. Hsin-Ling Shen a junior in interdisciplinary Humanities and Social Sciences Program. In addition, Ms. Hsue-Chun Chao, a doctoral student at the Dept. of Chinese Language and Literature won the prestigious Ten Outstanding Female Youth Award for the creative scripts that she wrote to rejuvenate the Peking Opera.

NTHU not only has a group of outstanding faculty members and students, we also have a larger group of loyal and devoted alumni whose strong support of their alma mater is clearly exemplified by Dr. Wei-Te Lee (CR) who donated NT$ 150 million to help the construction of the Low Carbon Energy Technology and Research Building. Mr. Hung-Liang Hsieh (CR) who graduated from Dept. of Physics has donated a precious art piece, "The Thinker" by Rodin that is beautifully installed by the new Learning Resource Center. Responses from our alumni to the fund-drive initiated by President Chen to build a multifunctional gymnasium can only be described as phenomenal; more than hundred and seventy alumni gave NT$ 1 million each toward the project. Furthermore, a group of our alumni from the business sector have jointly raised NT$ 300 million to establish the Great Tsing Hua Fund which will invest the capital they have raised and use profits from such investments to support NTHU on an ongoing base.

We not only have a group of loyal alumni, we also have a group of generous benefactors in the industrial sector. For example, Dr. Earle J. S. Ho, Chairman of Tung Ho Steel donated NT$ 200 million to establish Ho Chin Tui Award which will help NTHU to recruit and retain outstanding scholars and researchers in our faculty. Another generous donor is the Chairman of Macronix International Co. Ltd., Dr. Minn Wu. In addition to the NT$300 million Macronix donated for the construction of the Learning Resource Center a while ago, Dr. Wu and Macronix have also donated another NT$ 100 million this year to furnish the new building that is expected to be in service by the end of 2011. An anonymous donor gave NTHU NT$ 170 million to help with the construction of a new Biomedical and Environmental Sciences Building. The list of our benefactors is long but the above examples demonstrated to us that the public recognizes and appreciates the quality of education and research that NTHU has been providing and is very willing to provide us with more resources in our quest for excellence.

President Chen encouraged the graduates to cherish and practice the spirit of the University Motto, Self-Discipline and Social Commitment. As Tsing Hua People, they are elites of our society who have had the good fortune to study at NTHU, a public university supported by our society. Thus, they start to pursue their dreams they should always bear in mind our ancient sage, Confucius had said: "While one establish and reach one’s goal, one should also help others to do the same."

Dr. Chi Cheng, the commencement keynote speaker told her audience that all successful persons usually possess three characteristics. They are confident and ambitious and they persevere. She said that she came in the last place in the preliminary 80-meter low hurddle race in the 1960 Rome Olympics is being the last in a race a shame? She believes not. She would consider, however, shameful if she had then chosen to give up the sport. She persevered and continued with her training and eventually won a Bronze Medal in the same event eight years later in the Mexico Olympics. In addition to her own success story, Dr. Chi went on and shared another story with the graduates. Ms. Ya-Ping Deng, a former Olympic table tennis player retired from competition in 1996 and decided she would like to purse graduate studies despite of the fact that she really didn't have a strong academic credential. With a strong motivation and perseverance, Ms. Deng is now Dr. Deng for she has earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Cambridge University. This just proves that nothing is impossible with determination. To further emphasize this fact, Dr. Chi continued to use another example that is closer to home for the students in the audience. She happily mentioned the fact that Ms. Hsin Ling Shen a junior in the Interdisciplinary Program of Humanities and Social Sciences has just won the Presidential Education Award of the nation, not the first time for such a high distinction but, the second time in the last three years of her college career! Dr. Chi ended her speech by reiterating that success comes to those who are determined and persevere.

Two Mei Yi Chi Medalists, Mr. Hsiang-Yun Chu, graduating from the Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Ms. Hsiao-Yu Fang, Dept. of Life Sciences represented the graduating class and shared their precious experiences at NTHU. Mr. Chu said that he not only worked with his fellow students, he has also learned different values and perspectives from them and how such experiences have enriched his life. Ms. Fang was very appreciative of the training she has received at NTHU. She believes she has learned to take responsibility for her own conducts and she quoted Thomas Edison ---"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves," to encourage her fellow graduates to be all they can be.

The 2011 Class has a total of 3244 members. Of the total, 1,375 earned their baccalaureates, 1,532 received their Master degrees and the other 337 were granted with Doctoral degrees in various fields of study. The commencement ceremony ended beautifully with a brilliant display of fireworks symbolizing a bright future for all the new Tsing Hua People.