[2023 Commencement] UNIST Confers Degrees to 1,028 Graduates

About 1,028 graduate students celebrated the completion of their master’s and doctoral programs at the 2023 UNIST Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

The 2023 UNIST Commencement Ceremony was held in UNIST Gymnasium at midday on Thursday, February 16, inviting families, friends, as well as the representatives of all degree recipients.

The ceremony began with a performance by the UNIST cheerleading squad ‘UNICH,’ as well as UNISTRA, the official orchestra of UNIST. It also featured the conferral of honorary doctoral degree, followed by the awarding of honorary degrees, greetings by University Officials and remarks by the distinguished guests, including Mayor Gi-Hyeon Kim of Ulsan City and Chairman of Hyun-Soon Lee of the UNIST Board of Directors to celebrate this special moment of recognition.

At the ceremony, President Yong Hoon Lee awarded 218 honorary Doctoral, 312 Master’s, and 498 Bachelor’s degrees.

At the ceremony, President Yong Hoon Lee awarded 218 honorary Doctoral, 312 Master’s, and 498 Bachelor’s degrees. It turns out, since its opening in 2009, UNIST has a total of 8,494 graduates in science and technology, including 1,043 Doctoral, 1,829 Master’s, and 5,622 Bachelor’s students.

President Yong Hoon Lee expressed his heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2023. In his congratulatory remark, President Lee urged the Class of 2023 to boldly face challenges with the spirit of ‘First In Change,’ as they have done throughout their time at UNIST by saying, “Be willing to take on new challenges, but never be afraid of failure.” He added, “Plow your way through with the spirit of First in Change.”

President Yong Hoon Lee gives his commencement address at the 2023 UNIST Commencement Ceremony, held on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

The honorary doctoral degree has been bestowed upon Dr. Nam Pyo Suh, the Ralph E. and Eloise F. Cross Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who is also best known for bringing reform and innovation in science and engineering education. He held the position as an Assistant Director for Engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF) from 1984 to 1988 and served as the Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at MIT for 10 years from 1991 to 2001. While serving as the president of KAIST from 2006 to 2013, his innovative reforms led KAIST to grow into a world-class institute of science and technology. Academically, as a founder of the Axiomatic Design Theory, he has made distinguished research achievements publishing over 300 papers and 10 books and obtaining over 100 patents in the fields of polymer processing, tribology, and design/manufacturing of systems. Recognized for his achievements, he has been appointed to serve on the UNIST President’s Advisory Council in August 2022.

The UNIST President’s Advisory Council is one of UNIST’s projects to strengthen its global capabilities through network expansion with the goal of becoming one of the world’s top 100 research-oriented universities. Dr. Suh has been given the honor of receiving honorary degrees in recognition of his contribution to UNIST’s growth into one of the world’s top 100 research-oriented universities based on his accumulated experience and know-how through the UNIST President’s Advisory Council.

The honorary doctoral degree has been bestowed upon Dr. Nam Pyo Suh at the 2023 UNIST Commencement Ceremony on February 16, 2023.

At each commencement ceremony, UNIST recognizes the exceptional achievements of outstanding students through various awards, including the Yebong Best Dissertation Award. Established from the funds donated by the first UNIST President Moo Je Cho, the Yebong Best Dissertation Award is given to the author of the best doctoral dissertation. The aim is to recognize and encourage superior research and writing by doctoral candidates in any field of study. This year, Hyun-Jae Lee (Advisor: Professor JunHee Lee) has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Yebong Best Dissertation Award, presented by Former UNIST President Moo Je Cho.

Hyun-Jae Lee (Advisor: Professor JunHee Lee) has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Yebong Best Dissertation Award.

At the ceremony, Chan Hyuk Lim, a student (Department of Life Sciences) was given the UNIST President’s Awards in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements. In addition, the Minister of Science and ICT Award has been given to Seokju Lee (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering). The UNIST Chairman of the Board’s Award went to SeongOh Baek (Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering).

During his 2023 commencement speech at UNIST, President Lee noted “Today you leave this campus, but you will always be an integral part of UNIST. Wherever you go, you can be sure that your alma mater will be with you every step of the way, guiding you towards your goals and supporting your ambitions.”

In his congratulatory remark, President Lee also urged the Class of 2023 to boldly face challenges with the spirit of ‘First In Change,’ as they have done throughout their time at UNIST by saying, “Be willing to take on new challenges, but never be afraid of failure.” He added, “Plow your way through with the spirit of First in Change.”

The ceremony was held in the order of celebratory performance, academic procession, report on academic statistics, academic awards for outstanding students, congratulatory remarks by the distinguished guests, conferral of honorary doctoral degree, the awarding of honorary degrees, graduation speech by a graduate representative, school anthem, and closing remarks.