On November 4, Rutgers Global joined with the Rutgers Foundation to hold a make-up in-person graduation celebration in Shanghai for our Chinese students who graduated during the pandemic. These students completed their studies at Rutgers but, due to the travel and capacity restrictions enacted during the Covid pandemic, were able to participate in an online ceremony. The Shanghai event was a success, drawing an audience of more than 500 recent Rutgers alums and their friends and family. Here are photos from the event, and a highlights video.
The idea for commencement celebration in China was initially proposed on the Rutgers Global WeChat platform, the popular Chinese social media platform that Rutgers Global uses to stay connected with Chinese students and their families, and alums. The response was overwhelming and, as a result, to accommodate the audience the ceremony was split into two events at the same venue.
The event, hosted by Rutgers Global and emceed by Assistant Dean for Global Initiatives Steven Henin and Senior Program Manager Amanda (Shuman) Wen, began with students wearing Rutgers caps and gowns processing into the venue to the “On the banks of the old Raritan” alma mater. Next were presentations, which included videos from Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Prabhas Moghe congratulating the students on their achievement, as well as speeches from Vice President for Global Affairs Eric (Rick) Garfunkel, Senior Director of Global Engagement from the Rutgers Foundation Steve Cousins, Professor of Applied Microbiology Liping Zhao, and Juli Schwartz, a Rutgers-Camden Law alumni (class of 2006), who now works at the U.S. consulate in Shanghai. The recent graduates were then invited to cross the stage and be awarded their certificates by Garfunkel and Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences Yair Rosenthal, with the requisite switching of the tassel on their caps to indicate their graduation for a photo-finish moment.
The event captured attention from around the country. The afternoon event was livestreamed on four platforms in China, overseen by Senior Program Manager Mark (Yao) Ge, and garnered over 800,000+ views within 24 hours. In addition, photos that were posted live received over 28,000+ views during the day of the event. The Rutgers Global WeChat articles posted regarding the event received a total of around 8,500+ views.
The Rutgers recent graduates in attendance were a mix of both undergraduate and graduate with 165 undergraduate students, 80 students with master’s degrees, and 7 with PhDs. In addition, though a majority of students were from Rutgers-New Brunswick, there were 21 students from Rutgers-Newark, and one from Rutgers-Camden. Most of the attendees were from China, primarily the Shanghai area, though some flew in from other locations in mainland China and a few students came from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand.
The event drew many alumni with deep ties to Rutgers. There were several alumni couples who married after meeting at Rutgers, and walked the stage together to receive their certificates. In addition, two alumni walked the stage with their children who had been born during their time at Rutgers. Many alumni remarked that they hoped to attend Rutgers again for further studies and would recommend Rutgers to their friends and family.
The response to the commencement ceremony was overwhelmingly positive with many alums emailing or posting their reflections online. “Thank you for the fantastic ceremony in Shanghai. It was a nice opportunity for our Rutgers alumni to meet after the pandemic. I hope we can have more activities in the future,” remarked Jikun Pan, Class of 2020. “After a three-year delay, the in-person graduation ceremony I could attend finally took place. Missing the days in Rutgers where I was challenged to grow,” noted Weijia Mao, Class of 2020. Ziyi Qian reflected: “Graduated again (this time in person)! It's great to see old friends and fellow alumni. Wishing everyone a bright future. Hope to have the opportunity to visit our alma mater in the future. #scarletknightforever!”
Returning from the event, Rick Garfunkel said: “We were thrilled to be able to celebrate our Chinese students who overcame unprecedented hurdles to achieve their degrees during the Covid pandemic. We are very proud of their achievement, and we look forward to continuing to engage with our alumni community in China and all around the world.”
Learn more about the Rutgers Global China Office.