For the details on the ceremony, see the news.
Congratulations to all the graduating undergraduate and graduate students. I extend our heartfelt greetings on behalf of Niigata University.
The world has undergone a fundamental change in the past two years and six months due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with this completely unknown virus, mankind has pooled its wisdom to fight the epidemic, but we have yet to bring an end to this ordeal. During this time, our pre- COVID way of life has experienced a drastic transformation, with serious restrictions being imposed not only on medical services and social infrastructure, but also in the world of education. Your university life consisted almost entirely of online classes. The foreign students, in particular, suffered the most, with many of them unable to return to their home countries or to come to Japan. We, the university officials, have tried our very best to provide students with maximum learning opportunities, but we truly regret that we have not been able to offer you a carefree university life similar to the pre-Covid times. Yet I am truly pleased that you are all celebrating your graduation today.
By the way, did we all just happen to experience this momentous event by chance? If you think about it, you will realize that major epidemics have occurred several times in human history. For sure, the present pandemic spread so rapidly precisely because this occurred in an age where people can move around the world freely with airplanes. However, there had been several epidemics of smallpox and the plague in olden times, and more recently, major flu epidemics have occurred repeatedly. Even the neo-coronavirus that caused the current pandemic can be traced to the SARS epidemic 20 years ago. In that sense, it is not that we are unlucky enough to be living in this era; it can also be said that serious epidemics can actually occur any time. Perhaps, this is similar to earthquakes and other natural disasters.
We may want to think of this as a coincidence probably because we somehow believe that the quiet life we have today will continue tomorrow. Perhaps this is what we know as “normal.”
However, COVID-19 has served as a painful reminder that today will not last forever and the future is full of uncertainties. It made us realize that more than ever, we need to have greater capability to face the unpredictable future.
Do you all remember that Niigata University’s philosophy is "Autonomy and Creativity"? “Autonomy" literally means to behave according to your own norms, and "Creativity" means to produce something new. Niigata University has interacted with you based on this educational philosophy of “Autonomy and Creativity.”
To put it in another way, the spirit of “Autonomy and Creativity” means not to imitate other people and to be in the habit of making your own observations, discerning the facts with your own eyes, and making correct judgments. This also means possessing the “real strength” of resilience and suppleness, just like the branches of the willow tree, which is the symbol of Niigata.
I believe that you will graduate from Niigata University armed with the philosophy of “Autonomy and Creativity” and “real strength.” This will also give you strength to face the unpredictable future. Please do not forget Niigata University’s philosophy when you spread your wings into the future society.
You will be facing many things in your life from now on. The “real strength” that you have acquired will certainly be helpful. It will be the light that shines on your path and points you in the right direction.
I hope that even after your graduation, you will maintain your intellectual curiosity and never forget to keep on learning. Intellectual curiosity is the source of creativity and perseverance pays off. Please hold on to your intellectual curiosity and remember to keep learning. Please take up various challenges, never lose sight of your goal, and advance toward that goal.
Lastly, I would like to talk about Niigata University’s vision for the future. The university formulated its vision for the next 10 years in late February last year. It has set the mission of “becoming a front-runner of future life innovation” for the university to accomplish toward 2030 in the near future.
“Life innovation” here is not confined to the fields of medical care, health, and welfare, but is also innovation that creates new value and meaning of “our existence,” “whole life,” “way of living,” “the ideal society,” “involvement with the environment” as well as the base of these: the earth and nature as we live through the 21st century.
In other words, Niigata University aims at “life innovation” in terms of research and interaction with society that contribute to the future human society. This is something we can share with you, our graduating students.
Dear students, Niigata University is your alma mater and your home. Be proud that you have studied at this university when you take off into the future. Niigata University will continue to watch over you. I will end this message by reiterating the hope that you will maintain your bonds with the university wherever you are as you play an active role as frontrunner of future life innovation.
Congratulations, once again, on your graduation.
September 20, 2022
USHIKI Tatsuo, M.D., Ph.D.
President, Niigata University
各位毕业生们和结业生们，恭喜大家顺利毕业或结业了。我谨代表新潟大学致以由衷的祝贺。
这2年半来，由于新型冠状病毒肺炎COVID-19的全球大流行、即“大流行”（pandemic），世界发生了翻天覆地的变化。面对这种未知的病毒，虽然人类一直在集思广益的同时与这种传染病作斗争，但至今仍未结束。在过去的几年里，我们在新冠疫情前的日常生活恍若隔世，不仅是医疗体系和社会体系，连教育领域也受到了很大的限制。同学们的学生生活也基本上变成了非面对面的在线授课，尤其是留学生们，有的不能回国，有的不能来日本，想必是非常艰难的大学生活。虽然我们这些大学工作人员一直在竭尽全力最大限度地保护同学们的学习机会，但仍不能为大家提供一个如疫情之前般轻松快活的大学生活空间，因而感到非常遗憾。但是，同学们在这种情况下终于迎来了毕业这一天，我真心为大家感到高兴。
那么，我们是碰巧遇上了这一重大事件的吗？若是稍微思考一下，应该就会发现，传染病大流行在人类历史上已经发生过好多次了。当然，不能不说的是，正因为如今是可以乘坐飞机通行全球的时代，这次的疫情才会蔓延得如此之快。但是，过去的天花和鼠疫、以及近年来的流感疫情都曾反复发生，造成此次疫情的冠状病毒也曾在20年前以SARS的形式发生过大流行。从这一点来看，与其说我们碰巧遇上了一个倒霉透顶的时代，不如说不论何时发生这样的大流行都不足为奇。这或许与地震等自然灾害非常相似。
之所以会倾向于认为是巧合，应该是因为我们的内心某处认定与今天一样的太平日子会日复一日吧。或许这就是所谓的日常。
然而，在这种情况下，想必此次的新冠疫情已经让我们重新认识到了所谓的今天不会永远一成不变、以及未来充满了不可预知的事情。而且，我们还切身感受到，必须拥有更多的力量去面对不可预知的未来。
话说回来，大家应该还记得新潟大学的理念是“自律与创生”吧。该理念中的“自律”正如该词的字面意思，就是按照自己制定的规范来采取行动，而“创生”就是创造新事物。一直以来，新潟大学都秉持着这一“自律与创生”的教育理念来对待大家。
若将这种“自律与创生”的精神再稍微换种说法，那就是秉持不效仿他人、而是自己仔细观察或倾听事物并用自己的眼睛去分辨事实从而做出判断的习惯。于是，就会让人如新潟市的象征——柳树般拥有如柳枝般柔软而不屈的“真正力量”。
我坚信，在新潟大学学习过的同学们都会带着这种“自律与创生”的理念和“真正力量”毕业。那应该也可以称作面对不可预知的未来的力量。同学们，请牢记新潟大学的这一理念，在未来的社会中展翅高飞。
同学们一定会在未来的人生中遇到各种各样的事情。届时，你们学到的“真正力量”一定会发挥作用。想必它会成为照亮同学们前进道路的明灯，指引大家走上正确的道路。
然后，我希望同学们在毕业或结业后继续保持求知欲，勤学不辍。求知欲是创造力的源泉。而且，坚持就是力量。请大家不要失去“求知欲”，而是要牢记“坚持学习”并挑战各种事物，同时，不要失去自己的目标，要朝着该目标前进。
最后，我来谈谈新潟大学的未来愿景。新潟大学在去年2月底制定了展望10年之后的未来愿景。其中，面向2030年这个不久的将来，将新潟大学应履行的使命定为成为“未来的生命·创新领跑者”。
这里所说的“生命·创新”不仅限于“医疗、健康、福利领域”，而是指旨在创造与生活在21世纪的我们的“生命”、“人生”、“生活方式”、“社会的理想状态”、“与环境的关系”、以及构成这些之根基的“地球”和“自然”相关的新价值和新意义的创新。
换言之，新潟大学所追求的“生命·创新”就是为未来的人类社会做贡献的研究与社会的关系。这是可以与即将毕业或结业的同学们分享的目标。
同学们，新潟大学既是大家的母校，也是大家的故乡。请大家带着曾在新潟大学就读的骄傲迈出通向未来的步伐。新潟大学将在未来的日子里一直关注着大家。最后，我再次希望同学们无论身处何地，都要与新潟大学保持关系，并作为未来的生命·创新领跑者一展所长，我的致辞到此结束。
2022年9月20日 新潟大学校长 牛木辰男