“Run, don’t walk” after your dreams, Nvidia cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) told National Taiwan University (NTU) graduates yesterday, as several major universities held in-person graduation ceremonies for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What will you create? Whatever it is, run after it. Run, don’t walk. Remember, either you’re running for food, or you are running from becoming food. Oftentimes, you can’t tell which. Either way, run,” he said.
Huang was one of several tech executives addressing graduating students at Taiwanese universities.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
National Chengchi University held two ceremonies, with alumnus Patrick Pan (潘先國), who is head of Taiwan and Hong Kong operations at Facebook owner Meta, speaking at the morning ceremony, while Pegatron chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) addressed the afternoon session.
TUL Corp CEO Ted Chen (陳劍威) gave the commencement speech at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST).
Chen, who is an alumnus of NTUST, encouraged the graduating students to be optimistic, calling it a way to process challenges while remaining calm.
Photo courtesy of National Chengchi University via CNA
While many universities invited members of the tech industry to speak, National Taiwan Normal University asked Academia Sinica’s Lee Fong-mao (李豐楙), a Taoist, to give its commencement speech.
Lee encouraged the institute’s 4,469 graduating students not to be afraid to pursue uncommon or unpopular subjects and themes if pursuing a career in academics.
A devoted person can make their life unique, he said.
Photo courtesy of graduates from National Taiwan University’s Department of Sociology
At National Chi Nan University, student Dredrese Povili, who is of Rukai descent, quoted Rukai writer Avuinni Kadreseng in her graduation speech.
“Values that are deemed worthy often exist amid discomfort. Thus, when we go against the flow and reach the top of the mountain, no matter how difficult the process, nature becomes entwined with our lives,” she said.
Hopefully, the message encourages graduating students to live by doing, trust in traditional wisdom and utilize modern technology to strengthen and reinforce connections with the land, Hsieh said.
At NTU, department of sociology students protested to express their dissatisfaction with university president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) for not receiving students in person on Friday to hear complaints related to incidents involving discriminatory remarks made by some students.
The protesters refused to attend the graduation ceremony and instead stood outside holding signs reading: “This is not the graduation ceremony I want.”
After the commencement, Chen told reporters that he supported the demands of the students, adding that he would bring up the issue at the university affairs committee on Saturday.
Respect for multiethnic groups and upholding a multiethnic society are part of being a democratic society, and people should not make comments, even in jest, if it means that others would be feel discriminated against, he said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to