To the graduates of the Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of the Ryukyus, and the completers of the Information Engineering Program, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of the Ryukyus, in the first year of the Reiwa era.

congratulatory address

To the graduates of the Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of the Ryukyus, and to the graduates of the Department of Information Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, University of the Ryukyus for the first year of the Reiwa era:

Congratulations on your graduation and completion of your programs. I express my deep respect for reaching this day after your devoted study in the field of information engineering. I also celebrate with the parents for reaching this day together with your sons and daughters. I would like to express my deep gratitude for the daily support given to our students. The students have grown tremendously compared to when they first entered.

This year, which saw the transition from the Heisei era to the Reiwa era, marked a milestone for the Department of Information Engineering. Since the department was established in Heisei 6 (1994), we have sent 1,147 graduates into society. However, this year will be the last graduation ceremony as the Department of Information Engineering. From next year, students who will study in the newly reorganized Intelligent Information Course will become new graduates. An additional 60 graduates of the Department of Information Engineering will join us, bringing the total number of alumni to over 1,200. Many of our alumni are already active in responsible positions in IT-related companies both inside and outside the prefecture. Many others are active in various places such as private non-IT companies, government agencies, and educational institutions. Among them are engineers in the prefecture who are contributing to the education of the Department of Information Engineering, those who are teaching juniors as faculty and technical staff of the department, and even researchers who are attracting attention worldwide! I believe that our department, which has been operated for a long time by students, staff, and their associates and supporters, has made a significant contribution to society.

As graduates this year, you will be the “finale” of the Department of Information Engineering. It goes without saying that in the Red and White Song Battle, for example, the finale is performed by true powerhouses. We all look forward to seeing our best-ever graduates excel in their respective fields.

For those of you who have completed the Information Engineering program, there are even greater expectations. The societal evaluation of you, who have gained advanced expertise and practical ability to apply it to problem-solving through two years (or five years in the case of doctoral programs) of research activities, is extremely high. During your studies, you have gained experience presenting your theories in front of frontline researchers at academic conferences. Through the research exchange activities promoted by the graduate school, you have developed an international perspective. In the enPiT program, you have had the opportunity to learn directly from active engineers, experientially learning the methodology and execution to be an immediate asset in companies and other organizations. I have seen your growth in the final presentations of your master’s and doctoral theses and am truly impressed. I hope you, with your grounding as advanced IT professionals, will create new systems, technologies, and products that we cannot even imagine.

I think this is true for both graduates and completers, but in this “information age,” you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your abilities right away. You may be able to get into workplace tasks more smoothly than your peers who joined the company at the same time, and you may also be able to achieve results. However, this advantage will unfortunately not last long. As you are well aware, the field of information engineering you have learned is evolving at an astonishing speed every day. It is not unusual for the latest technology from a few years ago to be already outdated. Therefore, those who live as IT engineers must always update their skills and knowledge, surpassing their current selves every day. Is it hard? No, there is no need to worry too much. Because the attitude of constantly being interested in new things and actively incorporating them into yourself is what you learned at this university. We sincerely pray for you to thrive in your respective fields while paying attention to your physical and mental health, as always.

Finally, due to the impact of the coronavirus, we are unable to celebrate your departure in the form of a graduation ceremony or diploma award ceremony as in usual years, and the staff feels a little lonely. However, the joy of being able to send many excellent young people into society is no different from any other year, and it is a proud feeling. Please spend this special day of departure with a feeling of gratitude to the parents who have supported you for a long time.

Congratulations on your graduation and completion!

March 24, 2nd year of Reiwa Head of the Department of Information Engineering, Satoshi Endo