The Sino-British College (SBC), University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) hosted three Awards Ceremonies on 25th and 26th July 2015 to celebrate the achievements of graduates. A total of 180 graduating students attended the events together with their families and friends.
The celebrations marked the fifth cohort of SBC/USST students completing full UK bachelor’s degrees in Shanghai in Industrial Electronics and Control and Manufacturing Systems Engineering offered by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Events Management offered by the University of Huddersfield. It also marked the first cohort of SBC/USST students completing the University of Sheffield Business Management degree at SBC.
Eligible students also had their USST degrees conferred during these ceremonies.
Senior representatives from SBC/USST and its UK partner universities who attended the celebrations included: Professor Tian Weifeng and Professor Wang Lingyu, Vice-Presidents of USST, Professor Peter Byers, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) of LJMU, Professor Tim Thornton, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning) of the University of Huddersfield, Joanne Purves, Vice-President (International) of The University of Sheffield, Professor John Wilson, Principal and CEO and Professor Linda Liu, Vice Dean of SBC.
Members of the academic teams from SBC and the partner universities were also invited to join the academic procession and shared the joy of graduation of their own students.
Professor John Wilson, who joined SBC as new Principal and CEO in May said in his speech: “This is a particularly special day for me in that it is my first SBC graduation having joined the College just 3 months ago and I have been hugely impressed with all the staff, the students and with everything the College has achieved.”
Looking into the future, Professor Wilson said to all the graduates in the audience: “Discussions about our future plans have already begun but I want to stress that each of you is not simply part of our proud past but you are also part of our future.”
FIRST COHORT OF SHEFFIELD GRADUATES
The University of Sheffield Presentation of Graduates event on 26 July is seen as an important milestone in the development of SBC, with the first cohort of Gaokao Tier 1 students successfully completing The University of Sheffield and USST Business Management degrees at SBC. At the presentation event, degree certificates were handed to graduating students by Professor David Oglethorpe, Dean of Sheffield University Management School and Professor Gao Yan, Dean of USST Business School.
The outstanding academic performance of this particular group of graduates is evidenced in the fact that out of 28 students graduating, 21 of them are awarded 2:1 Honours degrees while the rest receiving 2:2 degrees. This is a remarkable achievement made by all graduates after four years’ study in Shanghai and in the UK.
Approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, the Sheffield Business Management programme was launched at SBC in December 2010 with the presence of Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice Chancellor of The University of Sheffield. Apart from the extremely high standard for entry, what is unique about the programme is that after two years’ study at SBC, all students are given the opportunity to spend one year at The University of Sheffield in the UK and return to Shanghai to complete their final year study (2+1+1). Such an innovative educational approach has been proven to be beneficial for students in terms of gaining a truly international academic and cultural experience.
Huang Fuyi, who spoke on behalf of all graduates at the celebration said: “Our programme is special and we are special. We have earned dual-degrees, with the continuous support from SBC, USST and The University of Sheffield. For us, Sheffield is really an extraordinary place. The nine months in Sheffield were and will always be special in our lives.”
STRONG EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
According to statistics from the SBC Careers Service and Development Centre, 88% of the graduates to date have received offers either for jobs or for postgraduate study in world-class universities.
As of 17th July 2015, 39% of our graduates have been offered places for Master’s study in China or abroad and, of those, three-quarters have been accepted (with conditional offers) by highly ranked universities in the UK, including Imperial College London, University of Warwick, University of Bristol and The University of Sheffield. Some will also go on to study at leading universities in other countries such as the John Hopkins University in the USA and EDHEC Business School in France.
Amongst all graduates who chose to seek employment after graduation, about 25% of them with outstanding academic achievements will go on to work at Fortune 500 multinational companies, including IBM, Accenture and ThyssenKrupp AG. By comparison, the percentage this year is 5% higher than last year.
One example is that Tang Jingfeng who has graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from LJMU in Industrial Electronics and Control Engineering, has recently been offered a position at L’Oreal as Management Trainee. He said in his speech at the awards ceremony: “From this moment on, each one of us is no longer just an independent learner but also a critical thinker who sees the world with our own thoughts and ideas. We know that from now on we are going to take responsibility for ourselves and fight for our futures.”
SMART AND SOCIALLY AWARE
Students at SBC have been taking an active role in charitable causes by organising and fundraising and working closely with various companies and non-profit organisations. They have volunteered in a wide range of events and activities both on and off campus.
All students graduating in Events Management have put on events for charities and other organisations to demonstrate their ability for applying theory in a practical situation while gaining first-hand experience. In 2015, final year students in the Events Management programme have run a number of events involving external clients, including the Family Fun Day at the Shanghai Centre, Home Sweet Home by working with CereCare and the Young Designers Exhibition at the Shanghai Design Centre, as well as many others within the business and local community of Shanghai.
He Weiyang, who graduated with a First Class Honours Degree and received the Top Performing Graduate Award from the University of Huddersfield in Events Management, said in her speech: “Having studied at SBC for four years, for sure, every one of us has grown into a better me. We’ve learned so much about the subject and the world. We hope that we can keep our passion for learning when we move on with our lives. We also hope that real-life experience will show us the way forward.”
