President’s Address for Commencement Ceremony
Congratulations everyone!
I am delighted to deliver the congratulatory address to 11 graduates of the Faculty of Law andLiterature, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Human Sciences, the Interdisciplinary Faculty ofScience and Engineering, and the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences. I also welcome 6
graduates of the Doctoral program of the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering,and the Master's and Doctoral programs of the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology.
On behalf of the board members, faculty, staff, and current students at Shimane University, I would
like to extend my heartfelt congratulations.
You enrolled in Shimane University with your own dreams, goals, and abundant motivation andenthusiasm for learning. Then, you acquired advanced knowledge and skills in your majors, andeducation in a broad range of subjects. Today, you are here to be conferred your degree.
I imagine that the infectious spread of the novel coronavirus over the past two and a half years hasbrought a significant impact on your student life. The university has continued its education by using
online and face-to-face techniques, depending on the situation. I realize the inconveniences caused toyou by the restrictions on classes and extracurricular activities in response to the COVID-19 prevention
measures. For international students, some of you were not able to enter Japan as scheduled. You havespent many anxious days here, in an environment different from your home country, amid the spreadof infectious disease. I also can imagine that you must have been worried about your family members
and friends back in your home country. Despite this difficult situation, you overcame many obstacles
and have now successfully completed the program in your field of study through your continuous hard
work, and will be awarded your degree. For this, I am truly glad.
You are here on the day of graduation through the support and involvement of people around you,including your supervisors who guided you during your studies, your friends with whom you discussed
your future, shared problems, and studied hard together, the regional community who supported you
in various aspects, and your family members who watched over your growth. I hope that you will takethis opportunity to recall your studies at Shimane University and thank once again those people you
have met during your student life here.
As the COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly proved, a phenomenon occurred in an area spread
instantly across the globe in today’s world of globalization and borderless society. Events that seem tohave nothing to do with you may become your own issues in an instant. Also, we are facing diverseand serious global-scale issues, such as energy issues, environmental issues including global warmingand ocean pollution, the transformation to an advanced information society, and geopolitical issues
around the world. In addition, social transformation is progressing at a high speed toward achieving
the SDGs and carbon neutrality. These issues are broadly, deeply, and intricately interrelated with eachother, increasing uncertainty in social situations. Even in this situation, you are expected to design andcreate a new generation to realize a sustainable, better society. In this society of increased complexity
and uncertainty, you are required to have a broad perspective, an ability to overlook, and a sharp insight
into the relations among individual events. I encourage you to establish your identity, look forward to
the future, and courageously try something while understanding the risks. I wish you the best of luckin the creation of a bright new generation with strong resolve and global flexible creativity.
Please remember to try your best, no matter the situation or your surrounding environment. You
cannot always make changes by yourself. However, working hard on what you can and what you must
do now will open the door to the next path. No one has the perfect answers for your life. So the way
you boldly carve will be the answer for you. I hope that all of you will steadily and confidently walkyour own path.
Shimane University has a history of 73 years since its establishment. Over 63,000 alumni are active
both in and outside Japan at present. Now, Shimane University has alumni associations in six countries,
in addition to those across Japan. I hope that you will join one of these associations and enjoy yourself
with other alumni of Shimane University.
Shimane is known as the land of "relationships" and "bonds." You established various"relationships" with people in Shimane. I wish you will always cherish these "relationships" and"bonds. I also would like your continued involvement with the university and Shimane. As for yourrole, I would like you to support the classmates under you as well as become further invested in thefuture of Shimane University.
I hope all of you will have a bright future. Once again, I would like to extend my congratulations toyour family members and the people around you who have supported your growth with highexpectations.
My best wishes for your future!
September 16, 2022HATTORI Yasunao, Dr.Sci.
President of Shimane University