Vice President Sun Zheng, thank you. Friends, colleagues, graduates of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and Webster University:

谢谢孙铮校长。朋友们，同事们，上海财经大学国际MBA项目的毕业生们，大家好!

It is a pleasure to be with you today in Shanghai to confer your degrees and congratulate you on this significant accomplishment. I congratulate you, the professors who have taught you, and the family who have supported you along the way.

今天，我非常荣幸来到上海为大家授予MBA学位，并见证这意义非凡的时刻。恭喜你们，同时也恭喜给你们传授知识的教授和一直陪伴和支持你们的家人。

What you have accomplished in the Joint MBA Program is a sign of our times: A partnership between two historic universities, each approaching their 100th anniversaries. From opposite sides of the globe, but headed in similar directions in our global future.

今天你们完成了MBA学位;同时，我们两校也即将迎来合作项目的新时代：我们两所历史悠久的大学，都将走向各自的100周年庆典。虽地处大洋两岸，我们将携手并进，开拓全球化的未来。

What you can do with your new degree is limited only by your imagination. You attained it through a program created by two universities that are truly global in scope, in one of the world’s truly global cities.

我坚信，将被授予的新学位会带给各位意想不到的价值。因为你们曾经学习的项目，是由两所全球性大学在国际化的城市里建立的真正国际合作项目。

In trade, finance, manufacturing, technology, or any number of fields, the world has come to Shanghai, and Shanghai is showing the rest of the world what it can offer, with an educated population such as you.

在贸易、金融、制造业、科技产业，以及很多其它行业，世界正走进上海;同时，因为有你们这样的高素质人才，上海也正不遗余力地向世界展现她的价值。

Of course, in business it pays to anticipate what’s next before the moment arrives. We think Webster and SUFE embodied this when they forged their partnership 17 years ago. This program could not have come about without Webster and SUFE looking globally, anticipating the future. And it could not endure without the continued commitment from leaders, esteemed faculty and excellent students such as you.

在商场上，抢占先机总会带来更好回报。我们两校在17年前就建立了合作关系，足以证明上海财经大学和韦伯斯特大学都具有相当前瞻性的商业眼光。因为两校的全球化视野和深谋远虑，这个项目才得以创立。并因为拥有许多乐于奉献的管理者、教授，以及像各位这样优秀的学生们，我们的项目才得以进一步发展。

Like SUFE, Webster’ story traces back almost 100 years. Like SUFE, we adapted to respond to our times. We became truly international by learning at the heart of European innovation – in Geneva, Switzerland, more than 30 years ago. Soon we were in London, Leiden, and Vienna. In the 1990s we were able to come to Asia, opening in China and in Thailand.

一如财大，韦伯斯特也有近100年的历史;一如财大，我们也与时俱进。30多年前，我们就在欧洲的心脏——瑞士日内瓦创办了分校区，标志我校走向国际化的开端。不久之后我校又相继开设了英国的伦敦、荷兰的莱顿和奥地利的维也纳分校区。20世纪90年代，我校走向了亚洲，在中国和泰国也设立了分校区。

This year we formally enter Africa, opening our campus in Ghana.

今年，我们正式走向了非洲，在加纳建立了分校区。

Webster has looked to expand in Africa, just as China itself has looked to this continent that is so important to the next century. As you know, China is a trading partner and developer in a wide range of African countries, bringing insights from the East to this burgeoning continent. Webster, which ranks with the top nationally recognized schools in the U.S. for its international programs, aims to do the same, bringing perspectives from the West, East, and everywhere Webster calls home.

中国正在不断扩展非洲市场，英雄所见略同，韦伯斯特大学也认识到下个世纪非洲大陆将在世界舞台上发挥更重要作用。大家熟知，中国与很多非洲国家都建立了贸易伙伴关系，并把东方智慧带到了这块生机勃勃的新大陆。韦伯斯特大学的国际项目在美国名列前茅，并得到了广泛认可。我们期待着能把韦伯斯特大学的教育平台推广到世界的西方、东方，直至遍布全球。

Just as Webster and SUFE once saw opportunities in each other, we now see opportunities in Africa. But we did not rush into it. We went about expanding to Africa methodically, by doing research, identifying strengths and people who could make it a success.

当年，上海财经大学和韦伯斯特大学从彼此合作中看到了机遇;如今，我们看到了非洲的发展机遇。但是我们并没有急功近利。我们有条不紊地走向非洲，通过调研，我们寻找到了能成功合作的战略伙伴。

As you know from your business training, it is important to identify opportunities. But it is essential to seize them only when you know you can make them work.

如大家所熟知，商业实战中抓住机遇的重要性不言而喻。然而，在条件成熟之时利用机会才是关键。

And all of us at Webster – myself, President Stroble, the deans, the faculty – all of us know you can take this education to seize your own opportunities and achieve excellence in your career.

我本人，韦伯斯特大学的Stroble校长，以及各学院的院长和教授都认为，凭借这段教育经历，大家一定能够抓住机遇，在未来的职业生涯中取得卓越成就。

We know you did not arrive at this point today by happenstance. You arrived here through deliberate choices. You chose to join an academic community. You chose to make the sacrifices and the investment needed to pursue higher education. You chose to follow a path that leads to exploration, to better understanding yourself and better understanding the world around you, whether that “world” remains in Shanghai, elsewhere in China, or around the world.

我们理解你们参加此合作项目的学习绝非偶然，一切都源于你们深思熟虑后的选择。你们选择了为追求更高学术境界而做出牺牲。你们选择了一条探索之路，去更好地了解自己以及你身边的世界，不管这个世界是上海、中国的其它地区，还是整个世界。

So we congratulate you on your choice. We wish you good luck in your future. And we thank you for making Webster University proud.

恭喜你们做出了明智的选择。祝大家福星高照，前程似锦!感谢你们，韦伯斯特大学为你们感到骄傲!

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

发布日期：2014-01-15