–as 2000 graduate in November

SOME 2000 students are to graduate from the University of Guyana come next month, as the University’s administration has implemented several new features for the ceremonies.

In a news bulletin Monday, UG said its 51st Convocation at the Turkeyen Campus will be held on November 11, where the accomplishments of about 1,800 students will be celebrated.

“For the first time in the history of the university, the certificates, diplomas and degrees will be awarded at two ceremonies,” the bulletin said. The first ceremony will be held for the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Technology, and will be held at the National Cultural Center (NCC) from 10:00hrs.

The second ceremony will be held at the Turkeyen Campus for the Faculties of Education and Humanities, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences. That ceremony will begin at 16:30hrs. Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith explained the change in convocation ceremony.

“Our graduating classes have grown tremendously over the years, and having one ceremony has meant having extremely long ceremonies, with some graduates and guests leaving before the ceremonies conclude.”

He added, “Creating two ceremonies allows us to maintain the tradition of having every graduand cross the stage and shake the hand of the Chancellor, and maintain the solemnity of the occasion, while reducing the length of the ceremony.”

Additionally, unlike previous years, all students graduating with diplomas will be invited to don academic robes, along with those graduating with Bachelors and Masters Degrees. Another new feature at this year’s Convocations will be the use of ceremonial gonfalons, which are banners, often shield-shaped, that hang from crosspieces on top of poles.

These banners are usually carried at the head of the Convocation procession and identify the different Faculties within the university from which students are graduating. According to Vice-Chancellor Professor Griffith, “adoption of this feature, which is found at mature universities across the world, will enhance the elegance and pomp of the ceremonies.”

Moreover, beginning this year and as part of strengthening the University’s engagement with alumni and inspiring graduating and continuing students, the University will spotlight distinguished alumni at the various Convocations.

Dr Dhanpaul Narine, Bachelor of Art in History, Class of 1975, will deliver the address at the first ceremony on November 11 at the NCC. He is a distinguished educator and journalist based in New York, and is a former lecturer at City University of New York and the London School of Economics from which he secured his doctoral degree.

Ambassador Rudolph Michael Ten-Pow, who studied Modern Languages, will give the keynote at the ceremony on the Turkeyen campus. He is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Guyana to the United Nations.

While at the Berbice campus Convocation, where more than 200 students will graduate on November 18 on the University Square at Tain, the Convocation Address will be delivered by Ms Patricia Bacchus, Class of 2004, Bachelor of Law.

Ms Bacchus, who hails from the Ancient County, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairperson of the Board of Caribbean Container Inc. (formerly SAPIL). She also serves as the Chairperson of the Board of GOInvest.

“Since 1968, when the University held its first graduation, it has become a leading provider of tertiary education in the country, graduating every year professionals with the knowledge and skills that are needed by the local, regional and global job markets,” the bulletin stated.

UG graduates can be found in senior positions in major public and private sector agencies both locally and around the world.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education, the extra-mural arm of the university, is scheduled to hold its graduation ceremonies for its four centers as follows: Georgetown Center on November 25; Linden Center on November 26; Anna Regina Center on December 2 and the New Amsterdam Center on December 9, 2017.