On the afternoon of July 4, the 2026 Commencement Ceremony of Fudan University School of Management was grandly held at the Zhengda Gymnasium. During the diploma conferral segment of the ceremony, students from Cohort 22 of the Fudan University-Washington University EMBA Program walked up to the stage one by one to receive their diplomas, marking a fulfilling finale to their EMBA academic journey.
At the opening of the Commencement Ceremony, the Star Chamber Orchestra of Fudan University School of Management kicked off the event. Composed of “Fudan Second-Gen” youth musicians, the lively and melodic orchestra delivered sincere wishes to all graduates, congratulating them on their graduation and wishing them promising futures.
Vice Dean Sun Yimin of Fudan University School of Management presided over the ceremony. More than 40 dignitaries in the academic party from Fudan University and partner institutions jointly witnessed this moment of honour unique to every graduate.
Vice President Wang Yuanyuan of Fudan University stated in his address that he highly recognizes the School of Management as China’s first business school to propose a science and innovation strategy.The school has spearheaded innovations in management education, effectively integrating management science into the broader national framework of scientific and technological innovation. It embodies the spirit of “writing papers on the land of our motherland” and bringing management knowledge into real-world operational contexts.
First, be rooted Fudan people and anchor your direction amid the tides of the times.Management is not merely about executing specific projects or reviewing financial figures; it is also about mindset and vision. Bear in mind Fudan’s motto — “Rich in knowledge and integrity of purpose; inquiring earnestly and reflecting closely.” Consciously integrate your personal aspirations into national development and the progress of our era.
Second, be managers with an innovative DNA and dare to break established boundaries.Scientific and technological innovation calls not only for sudden flashes of inspiration from scientists, but also empowerment by modern management science. The science and innovation strategy rolled out by the School of Management is essentially boundary-breaking innovation. Leverage managerial wisdom to accelerate the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements and tackle complex issues that truly shape humanity’s future.
Third, be resilient doers and hone your real capabilities through practice.After leaving Fudan’s campus, you will no longer face standard exam papers, but a real world full of variables. When confronted with hardships, embrace greater patience and perseverance. Hold aspirations to reach for the stars, and above all, possess the resilience to keep your feet firmly on the ground.
Professor Lu Xiongwen, Party Secretary of Fudan University School of Management, delivered a precious “Commencement Lecture” for the graduates.
Centered on the theme “Be Outstanding Managers in the Age of AI”, Professor Lu started from the essence of AI and management to explicitly refute the “Twilight of Management” thesis. He pointed out that AI is the only novel entity created by humankind so far that bears human-like traits and cannot be fully and absolutely controlled by humans. While AI can replicate human cognition, it cannot access humanity’s unique “spiritual yearnings” — the pursuit of emotion, spirit, meaning and faith. The more AI disrupts traditions, the more prominent the value of management becomes. Management is tasked with defining the ethics and boundaries of human-AI collaboration and serves as the core hub governing all productive forces. As long as human society needs to survive and continue, management remains indispensable and increasingly acts as the generator that aggregates, catalyzes and delivers outputs from other production factors.
Professor Lu proposed that outstanding managers in the AI era must possess three capabilities: the constructive power to create proactively and become rule-setters; the orchestrating power to oversee the big picture, integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge and build order amid chaos; and the stewardship power anchored in responsibility, to guide innovation with humanistic spirit.
He shared three pieces of advice for graduates: Believe that management is a productive force that sits above and unifies all technologies and production factors. Keep learning relentlessly, break the boundaries of traditional management knowledge, and guard against the erosion of judgment brought by AI. Always remain human — “to love, to grieve, to rejoice, to struggle, to experience, and to embrace everything it means to be human. These things that AI can simulate yet never truly experience are what set you apart from machines.”
In closing, he left graduates with this message: Combat fear with faith, impetuosity with values, superficiality with reflection, narrow-mindedness with reading, rigidity with curiosity, and nihilism with deep affection.