On the morning of June 7, Tamkang University held its 2024 Academic Year Commencement Ceremony on the 7th floor of the Shao-Mo Memorial Gymnasium. More than 3,200 graduates, faculty, parents, and honored guests from each college and department gathered to celebrate this milestone. The event opened with captivating performances by the competitive cheerleading team and the Diabolo Club. This year’s theme, “AI+SDGs=∞ Favorite of Enterprises,” symbolizes Tamkang students’ commitment to intelligence and sustainability as they embrace boundless futures.

Presided over by President Huan-Chao Keh, the ceremony featured congratulatory speeches from Chairperson Flora Chia-I Chang; Yen-Ming Chen, an outstanding alumnus of the Department of Mass Communication and General Manager of Titan Creative Entertainment; and Tsang-Chiang Chen, President of the Tamkang University Alumni Association of the Republic of China. Also in attendance were Chin-Tsai Chen, President of Tamkang University Worldwide Alumni Association; Chih-Jen Su, President of Tamkang University Alumni Association Headquarters of Departments; Lawrence Lin, President of Tamkang University Golden Eagle Club; and various international guests. Among the distinguished guests was President Hilda C. Heine of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and her spouse, who attended in support of the Marshallese students graduating from Tamkang, the university with the highest number of students from the Marshall Islands. After the ceremony, President Heine warmly posed for photos with the graduates, congratulating them on their achievements.

President Keh congratulated all the graduates as they embarked on a new chapter beyond Tamkang’s Five Tiger Hill. He emphasized the university’s forward-looking approach in cultivating AI and sustainability literacy, aiming to develop well-rounded talents favored by enterprises. In the 2025 surveys on "Employers’ Most Favored University Graduates" conducted by CommonWealth Magazine, Global Views Monthly, and 1111 Job Bank, Tamkang University was not only ranked as the No. 1 private university in both the "Most Favored by Employers" and "Most Favored by Listed Companies" categories, but has also received this honor from Cheers for 28 consecutive years. Notably, it has been awarded this distinction by CommonWealth Magazine for 28 consecutive years. He urged graduates to embrace lifelong, self-directed learning and to hone both hard and soft skills to navigate an ever-changing future.

Chairperson Chang highlighted Tamkang’s legacy as the first privately founded university in Taiwan, soon to celebrate its 75th anniversary, with over 22,000 students currently enrolled. She praised the resilience of the Class of 2024, who began their studies during the height of the pandemic in 2021. Thanks to Tamkang’s educational philosophy of internationalization, informatization, and future-oriented learning, these students are well prepared for what lies ahead. She encouraged them to keep improving, pursue bright futures, and one day return to share their experiences and carry on the Tamkang spirit.

Yen-Ming Chen reflected on his 24 years in film and television production, sharing an anecdote from his first job after graduation, when media legend Wei-Chung Wang asked where he graduated from. Chen proudly replied, “Tamkang Mass Communication,” to which Wang responded, “Oh! Great! Tamkang is excellent!” He also recounted advice from the late Professor Ya-Ly Chao, former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, who encouraged him to bring his quirky creativity into the workplace—words that deeply influenced his personal Tamkang spirit. He believes everyone should discover their own version of the Tamkang spirit— “a phrase that stays in your heart and drives you to keep pushing forward in life.”

With a confident tone, Tsang-Chiang Chen emphasized that Tamkang achieved a 101.12% freshman registration rate for the 2024 academic year and retained the No. 1 private university in the ranking of Most Favored Graduates by Enterprises for 28 consecutive years, an impressive testament to its academic excellence. He then asked, “Do you love Tamkang?” to which the graduates enthusiastically shouted, “Yes!” He replied warmly, “Your senior loves you too!” His brief but powerful speech elevated the mood to a climax.

The ceremony included the presentation of awards for academic performance, conduct, service, athletics, and diplomas. Graduate representatives Wen-Yi Peng from the Department of Industrial Economics and Chia-Ming Hsu from the Department of English, who comes from the Philippines, delivered a bilingual speech, reflecting on their journey that began during the pandemic, from remote learning to the reopening of campus. With humor, they said, “We never climbed the Slope of Overcoming Difficulty, but we were the hardest-hit freshmen.” They proudly declared, “We are all MVPs of the pandemic—no matter what challenges lie ahead, we will overcome them.” They wished all graduates a future full of breakthroughs and achievements.

The ceremony concluded on a high note with the school anthem and a group performance of the song To Youth by Ariel Tsai, led by the choir and international students. Amid bursts of confetti, colorful paper flowers, and balloons, the 2024 Academic Year Commencement Ceremony came to a joyous and heartfelt end.