The Fall 2012 Semester got officially underway on August 27 with a convocation ceremony in the fourth floor auditorium.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines convocation as a “ceremonial assembly of a college or university” from the Latin convocare meaning to convene. At SolBridge, our convocation is a time for faculty and students to come together, to greet new faculty and welcome new students. It signals the beginning of the semester and the hope and challenges which lay ahead.

In his address to the faculty, students, and staff, President and Vice Chancellor, Dr. John Endicott welcomed everyone back to SolBridge. He emphasized the uniqueness of SolBridge and the global experience students will get studying here.

“Take a look at your fellow students—they are from 32 countries in the world,” Endicott said. “Without a doubt, we are as global as we can be.”

He also reminded students of the need to work on their “soft skills” to help them succeed in the real business world and to make a reputation for SolBridge to be a beacon for the world.

“We will be competitive, but we will hold high moral values that our chairman and his father have espoused since the creation of the Woosong Foundation in 1954,” Endicott said. “Let’s make a passion for learning our middle name and take the concept of globalization and make it our own.”

Also during the ceremony, Dean Yong-wook Jun, gave an overview of SolBridge’s accomplishments and the challenges of this new semester. He took time out to remember the founder of the Woosong Foundation, Kim Jung-woo and thanks to his vision nearly 60 years ago, today SolBridge is on its way to becoming the Harvard Business School of Asia.

Finally, scholarships were officially conferred upon new students by Chairman Kim Sun-kyung and two groups of students from last week’s new student immersion and orientation week performed a chant and song for the audience.