Taking a step further into the world – The 113^th and 114^th Business School Commencement Ceremony (Undergraduate and Graduate)

highlighting the 114^th Commencement Ceremony, which appeared to be even more special with the first Business Analytics Major graduates and the 100^th Korea MBA graduates

Korea University Business School (Dean=Johngseok Bae) held the 113^th and 114^th Commencement Ceremony on February 24^th (Wed) and 25^th (Thu). This year’s commencement ceremony took into consideration of not only graduates of 2020 Spring (February 2021) but also graduates of 2019 Spring (February 2020) and Fall (August 2020), who couldn’t participate in previous ceremonies due to the COVID-19.

The 114^th Commencement Ceremony, which took place for 2020 Spring graduates, was even more special as it produced the first graduates of Business Analytics Major and the 100^th graduates of Korea MBA.

The first part of the event took place in the SUPEX Hall of LG-POSCO Building. The event was streamed live and was held under strict social distancing guidelines, with a minimum number of people participating in the event, including the valedictorian. The 113^th Commencement Ceremony began with a career outcomes report by Dr. Yongkeun Yoo, the Associate Dean for MBA Programs, and the 114^th by Jaeuk Chun, the Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs.

Dr, Johngseok Bae, the Dean of Korea University Business School, stated, “We congratulate your graduation and completion of the curriculum, which could have been very demanding after all.” “We hope you would become social leaders who utilize one’s knowledge to contribute to the common good of the whole society,” he added, “Always have pride as a KUBS graduate, and we request your continuous support for the school.

The Graduate Commencement Ceremony was followed by a commencement speech by Hyunsik Chung, the President of Korea MBA Alumni Association. “Korea MBA Alumni Association has now become Korea’s one and only MBA alumni network where graduates ranging from the first to 100^th actively participate,” he said, “We hope the Korea MBA Alumni Association becomes your lifelong network.”

Next, awards and degrees were presented to the students graduating summa cum laude in each department. The President’s Award, which is given to the valedictorian of undergraduate and all MBA programs, was presented to △Heewon Son (Undergraduate, Spring 2020) △Soyeoung Kim (Korea MBA, Spring 2020) and △Jiho Lim (Global MBA, Fall 2019).

The Dean’s Award, which is given to the students graduating summa cum laude in each MBA program, was presented to △Jangwoo Kim (Spring semester of 2020) △Bongook Noh (Spring semester of 2019) of Executive MBA; △Seokhyun Koo (Spring semester of 2020) of Korea MBA; △Nayoung Song (Spring semester of 2019) △Joonghyuk Choi (Spring semester of 2020) of Finance MBA; △Onyoo Lee (Fall semester of 2019) of Global MBA; and △Singh Jai (Spring semseter of 2019) △Hu Qidi (Spring semester of 2020) of S3 Asia MBA.

In the first part of the event, diplomas were presented only to the valedictorians of undergraduate, Ph.D., and MBA programs, along with Master’s graduates, to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The second part of the ceremony was prepared for the graduates who could not participate in the first part. As there were more than 1000 graduates from the undergraduate program, they were only allowed to receive their diplomas individually.

In the second part of the event, the Ph.D. and MBA graduates were individually scheduled with their participation time. The graduates were presented with diplomas under strict social distancing. The graduates, who participated in this unprecedented commencement ceremony, said, “It is too bad we couldn’t enjoy a large part of the campus life, but I am happy that I get to wear the graduation gown and receive the diploma in person.”

Although not everyone could gather and celebrate the event like before, that does not mean that the meaning of graduation fades away. Since all graduates overcame difficulties and made remarkable achievements, they must receive an even bigger round of applause. Graduation is only the beginning of a new chapter in life. We sincerely hope glory and happiness will come along in the future of all Business School graduates who are taking a new step into the world.