USP Chancellor’s Graduation Address
Republic of Nauru
Office of the President
His Excellency, Lionel Rouwen
Aingimea, MP
President
Minister for Education
Chancellor of the University of the
South Pacific
Wednesday, 21 April, 2021
USP Chancellor's Graduation
Address
Dear Graduands,
I am deeply disheartened to hear
that the University of the South Pacific Graduations (USP) in
Laucala have once again been cancelled because of the COVID-19
pandemic. It is, however, vital that you all follow the
advice of the Fiji Government that is trying to combat this global
disease. I am praying that you will all remain safe and
please take heed of USP and official warnings from the
Government.
I had intended to be able to at
least join you virtually for this year's graduation with our High
Commissioner in Suva handing out the parchments on my behalf.
Nevertheless, I would like to share my thoughts with you on this
momentous occasion. Our students are our key stakeholders and
also our future resource for the entire Pacific region. It is
after all because of you that we operate as the premier regional
university.
Graduation ceremonies are the most
significant and meaningful part of the University's annual calendar
and one that everyone associated with USP are keen to
observe. They are aimed at recognising the hard work that you
have undertaken and the hardship you have endured over several
years of study. Equally, it is an important time for you to
thank your parents, partners, families, employers and mentors for
their commitment and support.
As an alumnus of the University of
the South Pacific, I am particularly proud to share your delight
and joy on this auspicious occasion. I have fond and vivid
memories of my own USP graduation, and it is an experience that I
will cherish forever.
A USP education is truly
transformative. It opens doors that one would never
expect. I believe I have a unique perspective to share with
you. Not only was I a student at this great regional
institution, I was also an academic teaching in the School of Law,
and today, I feel deeply privileged to be serving as your
Chancellor.
Universities are unique
institutions and places of transformation where lives are changed,
and futures are forged. Personally, for me, God and my
education laid the foundations of who I am today. As a strong
believer of values-led education, my ethics and value system have
taken me to the pinnacle of my career as a Head of State and the
President of the Republic of Nauru.
A USP education is valuable for
creating opportunities. A university is the place to test
ideas and pursue truth. It is also where academic freedom is
fundamental to the freedom of expression and human rights.
These are ideas that I have advocated throughout my life.
Above all else, in the Pacific it is about empowering the building
of communities beyond your own borders and for changing the future
of the Pacific. I have no doubt that there is amongst you
today, the next set of Pacific leaders will be found.
For me, my greatest task and
greatest reward is how to serve the people of Nauru and to make a
difference to the entire region. It was precisely that vision
that the forefathers of USP had in establishing our regional
university.
As a former USP academic, I am
deeply conscious that the backbone of your success is the quality
and dedication of academics. I would very much like to thank
all the staff of USP who have relentlessly worked in the face of
grave adversity during the last year to ensure that you, the
graduands, can obtain a quality education and graduate. I
would also like to thank the Senior Management Team for continuing
to provide leadership at this particular juncture.
As Chancellor, I have had to work
through some of the most trying times that USP has faced in its
history. Equally, I have been determined to protect our
beloved institution and have fought hard to champion good
governance and show leadership particularly at a time when the very
future of USP is at stake.
As a leader in the Pacific, I am
often reminded of the powerful USP alumni networks of skilled
people who have done so much to develop and strengthen research,
embraced globalisation, and most vividly through the COVID-19
pandemic, shown the true spirit of resilience. These are the
great strengths that will carry forward with you. Remember
that this might be the end of a single journey but equally it is
the beginning of another -the journey of life.
New beginnings often are full of
new promises and opportunities and you now carry the torch of a USP
alumnus which empowers you to be ambassadors of USP and role models
in your places of work, your communities and respective
countries.
I urge you to live and uphold a
sense of high integrity and moral values and to go and make the
unthinkable real. You have great history behind you and the
Pacific needs you to aim high so that we can solve tomorrow's
intractable problems easily in our own Pacific way.
Be grateful for God, your families
and staff, the mentors who have sacrificed so much to get you here
today. Go forth in the world as a better person ready to
serve your communities and countries. That is the power of your
education.
I wish everyone well in your
endeavours and hope that you will excel in your chosen paths.
I hope you champion the sentiments of the Nobel laureate, Antole
France who said, "To accomplish great things, we must not only act,
but also dream; not only plan, but also believe".
Once again, to the graduands, my
heartiest congratulations and best wishes for the next phase of
your lives.
Thank you very much.
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Note to Editors: This address
would have been delivered live via virtual means on the graduation
days scheduled for 22 and 23 April, 2021. However, due to COVID-19
developments in Fiji, the graduation ceremony and other major
events in Fiji in the next 14 days have been cancelled by the Fiji
Government through an announcement made on Monday 19 April, by
Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
The certificates and diplomas will
be distributed to students by the USPs Student Administrative
Services (SAS).