The Faculty held its annual Graduation Ceremonies in 7 sessions beginning on 22 October 2009 and ending on 25 October 2009 at the Jockey Club Auditorium. At the 7 sessions, the higher diplomas, the bachelor's degrees, the postgraduate certificates, the postgraduate diplomas and the master's degrees were conferred on 849 undergraduates and 1,236 postgraduates.

Doctorates were awarded at the doctoral conferment ceremony held on 17 October 2009 for all faculties and schools of the University.

Professor Robert Mundell, Father of Euro and 1999 winner of Nobel Prize in Economics, was awarded the Doctor of Business Administration (honoris causa) on 17 October 2009. The honorary doctorate was conferred on Professor Mundell in recognition of, among others, his contributions to the development of an international macroeconomics model, to the theory of monetary and fiscal policy mix as well as his works on optimum currency areas.

A total of eight graduands from the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme offered in Hong Kong and two graduands from the Doctor of Management (DMgt) programme offered on the Chinese mainland were conferred their doctoral degrees at the same ceremony.

On 16 October 2009, a DBA/DMgt Graduation Reception preceded the Graduation Ceremony. Deputy Dean of Remin University of China Graduate School Professor Erming Xu, PolyU President Professor Timothy W. Tong, Graduate School of Business Director and Faculty Dean Professor Judy Tsui, Programme Director Professor Ferdinand A. Gul, Faculty academics, alumni and families were present at both events.

The Graduate School of Business (GSB) hosted a graduation dinner for the MBA class of 2009 on 23 October 2009. The event brought together graduands from the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme offered in Hong Kong and graduands from the China MBA (CMBA) programme offered on the Chinese mainland. The PolyU President Professor Timothy W. Tong, GSB Director and Faculty Dean Professor Judy Tsui, Programme Director Professor Howard Davies, Xi'an Jiaotong University Assistant President Dr Gong Hui, Xi'an Tongli International College Director Professor Wang Zhongmin, GSB academics and MBA alumni attended the dinner.

A total of 179 students completed the MBA programme and 100 students completed the CMBA programme this year. The CMBA is offered by the Xi'an Tongli International College jointly established by the PolyU and the Xi'an Jiaotong University. Both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong graduands received their degrees on the day following the dinner, at the Faculty congregation.

In the course of the evening, over 150 MBA alumni and graduands signed the MBA Oath, a voluntary pledge initiated by a group of Harvard Business School students in May this year for graduating and current MBAs "to create value responsibly and ethically". The number of signatures from around the world has now exceeded 1,600.

To prepare Faculty students before they start out on their careers, the Doctor of Business Administration Alumni Association (DBAAA) initiated a mentorship program for the final year undergraduates. The first gathering of the mentors and students was held on 15 October 2009.

The program aims at helping students develop their interests, identify a direction of career development and sharpen their competitive edges. The range of activities, which runs from October 2009 to the summer of 2010, includes personal coaching, goal setting, experience sharing, company visits and networking.

Close to 100 selected Faculty students and 80 guests attended this year's High Table Dinner held on 29 October 2009 at The Hong Kong Club.

Professor Timothy W. Tong, the PolyU President delivered a speech welcoming all those present at the Faculty's fifth annual High Table Dinner. This was the first time that the PolyU President has attended the Faculty's High Table Dinner.

The keynote speech was delivered by Dr William Fung, Group Managing Director of Li & Fung Limited, who spoke on The Li & Fung Experience: The New World of Business Opportunities for Hong Kong-based Companies and People.

The High Table Dinner, inaugurated in 2005, provides our undergraduate students with the opportunity to interact and socialize with business executives and entrepreneurs in a formal setting.

The Graduate School of Business (GSB) and the School of Design (SD) joined hands with the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) to hold a seminar on Driving Innovation in Corporate Culture: How Design Supports the CEO in Turning this Challenge into an Opportunity. The seminar was led by Dr Stefano Marzano, the CEO and Chief Creative Director of Philips Design. Those who attended the event on 19 October 2009 at the World Trade Centre included senior business executives, designers, GSB and SD students.

Dr Marzano was conferred the Doctor of Design (honoris causa) by PolyU on 17 October 2009.

A seminar was held at the IMC-Frank Tsao Maritime Library and Research & Development Centre (IMC Centre) of PolyU on 29 October 2009 to scrutinize Hong Kong's development in the international maritime industry.

The seminar, on the theme Development of Hong Kong as the World Maritime Centre under One Country Two Systems, featured research by the organizers as well as by research students of the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies and research staff of the IMC Centre.

The event was co-organized by the IMC Centre, the One Country Two Systems Research Institute and the IMC Group founded by Dr Frank Tsao and currently engaged in industries, investment and real estate development.