On the afternoon of June 24, the 2026 Graduation and Degree Conferring Ceremony of XJTU-POLIMI Joint School was held in the Lecture Hall of the Milan Building at Western China Science and Technology Innovation Harbour. As the first graduation ceremony since the school’s founding, the event witnesses the fruitful achievements of in-depth Sino-Italian higher education cooperation and marks the official completion of academic studies for the school’s first cohort of graduates, who are about to start new chapters of their lives.
Wang Huan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Sergio Pignari, Representative of the Rector of Politecnico di Milano, together with administrative leaders from functional departments of both universities, college leaders and faculty representatives attended the ceremony. The event was presided over by Chen Xiaoming, Vice Dean of XJTU-POLIMI Joint School.
The ceremony commenced with the solemn national anthem of the People’s Republic of China.On behalf of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Wang Huan delivered an opening speech, extending warm congratulations to all first cohort graduates and sincere gratitude to faculty members from both universities for their dedicated teaching and to all parents for their consistent support. She noted that XJTU-POLIMI Joint School serves as a high-end international education platform jointly built by two top universities in China and Italy, undertaking the core mission of cultivating top-tier innovative talents. She encouraged all graduates to inherit the prestigious Westward Relocation Spirit, embrace era opportunities with cross-cultural vision, and grow into outstanding youth capable of connecting China and the world and leading industrial development.
Yang Shuming, Executive Dean of the Joint School, delivered the 2026 Graduate Training Quality Report, comprehensively reviewing the four-year training outcomes of the first graduate cohort. Leveraging the high-quality disciplinary resources of both universities and an integrated Sino-Western training system, the school has cultivated students with outstanding performance in academic research, innovative practice and global competence. A large number of graduates have secured admission to prestigious domestic and overseas institutions including Imperial College London and Cornell University, presenting an outstanding debut achievement for the Sino-foreign cooperative education program.
Professor Sergio Pignari, Representative of the Rector of Politecnico di Milano, delivered a speech, reviewing the preparation and development of the bilateral cooperative education program and highly recognizing the growth of the first cohort of graduates. He stated that XJTU-POLIMI Joint School stands as a benchmark for Politecnico di Milano’s educational cooperation with China and a vital bridge linking China and Italy. He expected all graduates to uphold a global vision, pursue continuous exploration in future academic and professional fields, and contribute youthful wisdom to global industrial development. Subsequently, Flavia Grassi, Vice Dean of the School of Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, major discipline leaders and faculty representatives from both universities delivered speeches in succession, sharing teaching insights and extending sincere blessings and expectations for the graduates.
Speeches were delivered by Sergio Amedeo Pignari, Flavia Grassi, Silvia Fare’ and Venanzio Arquilla.
Fausto Brevi, faculty representative of Politecnico di Milano, and Li Meng, faculty representative of Xi’an Jiaotong University, also addressed the ceremony.
Graduate representatives Ge Yuncheng and Li Yaning took the stage successively to reflect on their four-year learning journey and gains. On behalf of all graduates, they expressed heartfelt gratitude to the university, faculty and parents, and pledged to forge ahead firmly in further studies and professional careers with the spiritual heritage nurtured by both prestigious universities.
Parent representative Ma Jianqing gave a speech at the ceremony.
Parent representative Ma Jianqing gave a speech at the ceremony.
Executive Dean Yang Shuming presented honorary certificates to outstanding social contributors to the school’s 2025 enrollment promotion work.
In the degree conferring session, graduates took the stage in order to receive degree certificates from Sergio Amedeo Pignari, Flavia Grassi, Silvia Fare’, Venanzio Arquilla, Diego Scaccabarozzi and Fausto Brevi. Following the presentation, Professor Sergio Pignari officially announced the degree conferring resolution of Politecnico di Milano.
Finally, all attendees stood up and sang the university anthem. The ceremony concluded successfully amid uplifting melodies and celebratory fireworks. As a landmark achievement of Sino-Italian higher education cooperation, the successful graduation of the first cohort has laid a solid foundation for the long-term development of the Joint School. Moving forward, the school will further deepen bilateral cooperation between the two universities, cultivate more high-quality innovative talents with patriotism and global competitiveness, and inject sustained momentum into the internationalization of higher education.
