Several innovations are on the cards for the 2017 Convocation ceremonies of the University of Guyana, where some 2,000 students are expected to graduate.

The 51st Convocation at the Turkeyen Campus will be held on November 11. There the University will celebrate the accomplishments of about 1,800 students. For the first time in the history of the university, the certificates, diplomas and degrees will be awarded at two ceremonies. The one for the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Technology, will be held at the National Cultural Center (NCC) at 10:00 h, while that for the Faculties of Education and Humanities, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences will be held on campus, beginning at 16:30 h.

In commenting on this significant change, Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, who proposed the change said, “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 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.

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

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. 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.

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UG IN BRIEF

With a current enrollment of some 8,000 students, The University of Guyana (UG) has graduated more than 20,000 students who have gone on to successful careers locally, regionally and internationally. The University is also a major contributor to the national economy and to business and industry. Established in 1963 on a part-time basis with shared space at Queens College, UG moved to its own campus at Turkeyen in 1970 and expanded in 2000 with the addition of the Tain Campus. It now offers more than 60 Under-graduate and Post-graduate Programmes including Engineering, Environmental Studies, Forestry, Urban Planning and Management, Tourism Studies, Education, Creative Arts, Economics, Law, Medicine, Optometry and Nursing. Several online programmes are available and The UG also offers extra-mural classes at four locations through its Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE). The UG also offers the opportunity for student engagement in debating, sports, and cultural, religious and professional activities.

Public Relations Division
October 30, 2017