Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) held its graduation ceremony on Friday, December 11 at Showa Women’s University Hitomi Memorial Hall. This graduation ceremony was originally scheduled for June but was postponed to December in view of the COVID-19 situation to ensure that the necessary precautions could be adopted for the ceremony. Unlike in previous years, guests from the Temple University Main Campus in the United States attended the ceremony through video messages instead of in person. Students, guests, and faculty members all wore masks and observed safe distancing guidelines. Although the graduation ceremony was different from those in previous years, students in the graduating cohort were excited about looking to the future after having overcome numerous challenges over the course of their university life.
A total of 438 students graduated in 2020, including 304 undergraduates receiving their bachelor’s degrees, as well as graduate students (master’s and PhD degrees).
Temple University President Richard M. Englert, as well as Executive Vice President and Provost of Temple University JoAnne A. Epps addressed the graduating students at the ceremony through video messages. In addition, Laurence W. Bates, managing executive officer at Panasonic Corporation and a member of TUJ Board of Overseers, delivered the keynote address. He congratulated the graduating students on their achievements and wished them all the best for their future endeavors around the world.
Hiromi Morita (bachelor of arts) and VeraCatherine Suzuki (master of business administration) delivered speeches on behalf of the students graduating from the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs (Education, MBA, and Law). In their speeches, they looked back on their journey in the university and expressed their appreciation for those who had offered their unwavering support as well as their optimism for the future. Full transcripts of the speeches are available on Graduation 2020.
The graduation ceremony was streamed live on the internet so that their family and friends all around the world could view it. The broadcast can be viewed on TUJ Youtube channel.
Total number of graduates in the TUJ Class of 2019: 438
- Associate of Arts: 3
- Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science: 304
- Master of Laws: 31
- Master of Business Administration: 30
- Master of Science in Education: 56
- Doctor of Philosophy in Education: 14