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2012 Matriculation Ceremony Address 2012.02.29

February 29, 2012
 
  Congratulations and a very warm welcome to the new Yonseians. I would first like to express my deep appreciation to your parents for their love and continuous support, which have led you to where you are today. I would also like to extend my gratitude to all our distinguished guests for gracing this occasion with their presence.
 
  Members of the Class of 2012, 
  You are now proud members of the Yonsei community. I hope that you will fully devote yourselves to accumulating knowledge in this privileged community, and go on to pursue your dreams.
 
  Yonsei's history started 127 years ago when Western missionaries founded Severance Hospital and Yonhi College. Yonsei was the first to introduce modern higher education to Korea, and has since proudly stood with tradition and honor as the country's leading private university.
 
  You are now aboard this vessel of Yonsei in order to acquire the wisdom to cross a river that grows deeper and wider. Train yourselves to overcome more challenging mountains. Push yourselves to reach as high as possible and pioneer new paths with a discipline that integrates the intellectual, moral, and spiritual aspects of education at Yonsei.
 
  The world and Korean society are faced with many challenges: poverty and unemployment; a lack of resources and destruction of the environment; discrimination and conflict; establishing world peace; and the reconciliation and reunification of South and North Korea, to name just a few that await for your keen intellect and daring attack for resolution.
 
  As we begin this new phase of Yonsei's "third founding," Yonsei is determined to restore its mission of seeking truth and cultivating intellect through a "Back to the Basics" focus on ensuring the highest-quality education.
 
  Yonsei will guide each of you to prepare the skills and virtues required by today's society. For Aristotle, morality served as the highest goal of intellectual pursuit, so that "academic excellence supported by moral values" is a central principle in the field of ethics. I believe that a focus on morality is a virtue that Korea today requires of Yonsei as a university.
 
  Yonsei will provide education for your academic growth and character building. We will nurture our students to practice true humility with self-confidence, and to make contributions to the community, through which all of you will become essential intellectuals who live up to the calling to be the light and salt of our society.
 
  Indeed, the spirit of "light and salt" is well represented in Yonsei's color blue, symbolic of the ocean. The ocean embraces all colors and yet maintains its distinct blue color. The ocean is also a reservoir of salt, that ingredient essential to life. The deep sea, too, is home to creatures of all colors, sizes, and characters, yet never loses its color. Herein lies the essence of the ocean. Yonsei is also a great ocean, carrying at its core a God-given calling, but also advocating the pursuit of advanced knowledge.
 
  Beloved new Yonseians, 
  I encourage you to have faith in yourselves. Only those who respect themselves can truly serve others. Be a Yonseian who serves the community by sharing with others and being considerate of those around you. The ultimate goal in the pursuit of knowledge and truth is to love others with a righteous heart. Hone your skills to achieve the virtue and character that today's world requires, rather than merely working to amass wealth.
 
  Also, strive for spiritual discipline. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Cherish God's calling and His values. The world will be your oyster once you have attained intellect, character, and spiritual discipline.
 
  Members of the Class of 2012, 
  You have now become a part of the Yonsei community, and I am happy that we can share the ideal upheld by all Yonseians since the university's founding. This also means that you are obliged to share the weight of responsibility to respond to our mission. Yonsei will be by your side as you take each step in the growth that will eventually attest to Yonsei's motto, "Yonsei, where we make history!". As president of Yonsei University, I am honored to take on this mission together with you. Let us move forward into the future as we take the leading role in creating a new history.
 
  As of today's matriculation, you have entered a very important phase in your life. The coming four years will grant you the freedom and time for challenges that may never be offered again in later years. Four years may seem not so short in a physical sense, however, neither will those years be deemed long, considering that this is the time given for you to prepare and make decisions for the direction of your future.
 
  This is your first year out of four. We often mention the importance of starting off on the right foot. You are about to make that first step here. I hope that you will march forward with open arms in this significant year of conversion from high schooler to university student.
 
  God, who is so faithful, has brought you to this world, and He has a plan for each one of you, and will grant opportunities in due course. It is your responsibility to prepare, persevere, and to pray continually not to miss that chance. Strive to advance from being homo sapiens to becoming homo rationalis, and, finally, excel to become homo viator. You will then accomplish your dreams and the future will be in your hands.
 
  Esteemed parents and family members of the new Yonseians, 
  I would like to express my sincere appreciation to you for your endless love and support, which made it possible for your children to become a part of the Yonsei community. On behalf of Yonsei University, I would like to assure you that Yonsei will do its best to cultivate the young talents you have entrusted to us. I ask for your continued support as we prepare for a new phase in history driven by all of our dedication and energy.
 
  Congratulations once again on your joining Yonsei University. May God bless you and all your households. Thank you.