Chongqing- On June 30, 2020, Chongqing Southwest University in Beibei District held the first graduation ceremony for students of Westa College since its establishment in 2016.
Parents, teachers and students gathered at the university museum of Southwest University and joined by professors from the University of Western Australia and University of Tasmania through the cloud venue ZOOM.
At the same time, the ceremony was broadcast live on the platforms of Weizan, the Southwest University Westa College public account and other platforms for audiences both home and abroad.
The proceedings began with a 2016 graduation video that also celebrated the four-year anniversary of Westa College, which evoked unforgettable memories among the first batch of graduates.
Vice President Wang Jinjun of Southwest University and Secretary of the Party Branch of West Tower College Wang Jing announced the list of awards, commendations, and graduation decisions.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia Mr Tayyeb Shah addresses the graduation ceremony of Westa College through cloud platform Zoom.
The co-founding universities also issued certificates for students who completed part of their degree programs in Australia. Following the degree awarding ceremony, representatives from the class of 2016 graduates thanked the alma mater for the course of education, and expressed their future commitment to the college.
Zhao Yufang, the dean of Westa College, and leading figures from the universities based in China and Australia separately addressed the audience, and expressed their hope that the first graduates of will contribute greatly to society and shine as a beacon for the world.
Finally, President Zhang of Southwest University delivered a speech, and brought this first graduation ceremony to a successful conclusion with a joint performance of Southwest University’s official song.
It is reported that Westa College is the first Sino-foreign school run in cooperation, and approved by the Ministries of Education in both Australia and China. The system is dedicated to cultivating elite graduates with strong competitiveness on an international level.
Graduating student of Westa College Yujia Lu in Food Quality and Safety addresses the audience and speaks of her desire to contribute to food safety in China.
Among the class of 2016, over 90% of advanced students seeking further education have been admitted to the world’s top 100 universities, 60% of whom will attend top 30 universities such as Peking University and Melbourne University.
Over the past four years, students have won more than 80 first-class awards in the College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, the National College Student Challenge Cup in Academic Science and Technology. There have been 20 papers published in the IEEE Sensors Journal and other SCI publications, while over 10 national patents have been obtained, or are in the process of application.
This milestone in the annals of Westa College will serve to further promote the internationalization strategy of Southwest University, and play an active role in developing the institution into a world-class education provider.
Higher education in Chongqing has opened a new chapter in the process of internationalization.