85 undergraduate students and 35 graduate students graduated from ICU at its summer commencement ceremony held at the University Chapel on Friday, 29 June.

At the ceremony, each student's name was read out in keeping with tradition that has continued since the first commencement ceremony. Students whose names were called received their diplomas - the fruit of four years of learning - on stage and shook hands with President Junko Hibiya.

Also during the ceremony, a certificate indicating conferral of the title of Professor Emeritus was presented to Professor Tatsuhiko Itoh, who became a professor emeritus on April 1, 2018.

Professor Itoh came to ICU as Assistant Professor in 1992, and was promoted to Associate Professor (1998) and Professor (2003), before his retirement in March 2018. During his 26 years at ICU he has been active as an educator, administrator and researcher. Professor Itoh served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts from April 2013 to March 2017. During this time he introduced many innovations into ICU, particularly those concerning the entrance examination.

Commencement Address by Junko Hibiya, President

I would like to extend my congratulations to all those graduates of the College of Liberal Arts who have received their bachelor's degrees, and to those Graduate School students who went on to further study and received their master's and doctoral degrees. Permit me to offer my heartfelt greetings to the graduates' families, relatives and friends, who are with us today.

ICU was founded in 1953 based on Christian ideals and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since then we have continuously aimed to cultivate capable individuals who serve God and humankind as responsible and peace-building global citizens. A diploma granted to you today attests that by completing ICU's rigorous academic requirements each of you is now able to plan your own path for creative and independent study based on your academic foundation.

The era in which you will live is characterized by longevity as well as uncertainty. It is extremely difficult for anybody to foresee what is going to happen during their life time. In such an environment, everyone must be engaged in a lifetime of learning to meet the changing demands of constantly expanding knowledge-based society. In the past, education, work and retirement used to constitute a simple linear path; most if not all of our predecessors left school for good, upon completion of their education, and worked until they reached their retirement age without disruption. Those days, however, are over. Today no one would assume that learning ends at graduation. As the word "commencement" indicates, today's ceremony is not at all the end but the beginning of new learning. Actually, many of you who have just received your master's or doctoral degrees chose to enter ICU to advance your career after working in diverse sectors for a substantial number of years. Coming from all over the world, you have enriched the ICU community in different and innovative ways to meet the challenges of the new global age. I strongly encourage those of you who leave here today with your bachelor's degree to follow these graduate students' footsteps and diversify your life stage as you mature.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the United Nations General Assembly of September 2015 also promotes lifelong learning. The UN document entitled "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" states as follows:

"All people, irrespective of sex, age, race or ethnicity, and persons with disabilities, migrants, indigenous peoples, children and youth, especially those in vulnerable situations, should have access to life-long learning opportunities that help them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit opportunities and to participate fully in society."

Whether you start or restart working in a real world, or go on to graduate school to pursue an advanced degree, one day you may find yourself in a situation in which you are obliged to reflect upon your future. Do welcome such a moment because that is nothing but an opportunity for you to explore different possibilities. Under such circumstances or while in transition, please remember the verses 7 and 8 in Chapter 7 of the Gospel according to Matthew, that were read at the beginning of this ceremony, "If you ask, it will be given to you. If you seek, you will find. If you knock, the door will be opened to you."

At the start of my address to you, I noted that ICU was founded sixty-five years ago. Since then, we have regarded the cultivation of individual thinking abilities and the power of scientific criticism as a crucially important goal in our educational program. To achieve this, ranging from our Japanese and English bilingual education to final thesis writing, we require students to approach issues from diverse points of view and to acquire the ability to analyze them logically and carefully. I hope that we have set the foundation of your life beyond ICU by providing you with the qualities that will serve you well, no matter where you are and what you do. Education at our university always encourages students to learn both inside and outside the classroom. The places available for learning range from this campus of extraordinary flora, fauna and cultural heritage, to the domestic as well as foreign communities that form important laboratories for new ideas. Many of you have realized the importance of transcending the boundaries of academic disciplines by reaching out to such communities. Now you are standing at the starting line on your way to expanding your potential in a wider world. You can further your commitment to fulfill your civic duty, to promote humane values through a unity of learning and service, and to become leaders in your respective fields. The paths before each of you will likely differ. Follow your passions. Apply everything you have acquired at ICU not for yourself but to serve God and humankind. Lead lives that adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as you vowed when you matriculated a few years ago. And do return here someday, to share with us your achievements after ICU. May God bless you all.