▪ The Chancellor, the Honourable Justice Lex Mpati,
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▪ The Chairperson of the Rhodes University Council, Judge Gerald
Bloem, and different members of our Council,
▪ The President of the Rhodes University Convocation, Dr Michele Ruiters,
▪ Deputy Vice-Chancellors,
▪ Deans,
▪ Acting Registrar,
▪ Heads of Academic Department and Directors of Administrative
Divisions,
▪ Academic and assist employees colleagues,
▪ President and different members of the Student Representative Council,
▪ Proud dad and mom, guardians, siblings and pals of our graduates,
▪ Honoured friends,
▪ And most necessary of all, our graduates.
- On behalf of our Council, Board of Governors and your complete Rhodes
University group, it’s my singular pleasure to welcome you all this
afternoon to rejoice important achievements of our graduates with
the deserved fanfare and within the presence of their family members. - Hearty congratulations to you all, our graduates, in your educational
achievements! - The attainment of a Rhodes University qualification is an exacting
proposition in the most effective of instances. And, to earn one underneath the daunting
circumstances of a once-in-a-century pandemic is actually particular. - You persevered valiantly, you have been resilient and also you triumphed brilliantly.
- You must be very happy with what you have got achieved. We are
immensely happy with you. - When the primary constructive case of COVID-19 was reported on 5 March 2020
and we needed to ship college students house in March 2020, we by no means imagined
that the pandemic would disrupt our lives for nearly two years. - We needed to cancel all on-campus in-person actions, together with
commencement ceremonies. - Your disappointment was comprehensible and justifiable.
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- We promised you that, as soon as the pandemic had abated, we might
invite you again to campus to rejoice your educational achievements in
one of the simplest ways we all know how. - Thank you to your understanding and endurance and for honouring our
invitation to this celebration. - We needed to honour our endeavor to you.
- If something, the pandemic has proven us that the world can change in an
instantaneous. It has taught us simply how unsure and unpredictable life will be.
It has taught us to at all times anticipate the sudden. - Above all, it has taught us the worth and significance of resilience,
adaptability and creativity. These are the teachings that will probably be important as
you navigate the challenges of life. - Dear graduates, I’ve little doubt that you can be the primary to
acknowledge that you simply didn’t get to this second in time by yourself.
No one accomplishes something on their very own. The outdated African adage, “it
takes a village to raise a child” is as true at present because it has at all times been. - Accordingly, we provide our heartfelt congratulations to your households,
pals, guardians and all these whose loving sacrifices, fixed
encouragement and unfaltering assist have sustained you all through
your educational journey at Rhodes University. - At instances once you might need misplaced all hope and puzzled in case you would
get to the ending line, they have been there to cheer you on and cheer you
up. - This commencement celebration is as a lot yours as it’s theirs.
- Our college may be very lucky to have excellent, loyal, devoted and
dedicated educational and assist employees who take a deep and eager
curiosity within the progress, growth and educational success of every and
each one in all our college students. - If I could also be so daring, let me, in your behalf, specific profound gratitude
and honest appreciation to your lecturers, tutors, laboratory technicians,
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pc assistants, assist and administrative employees for his or her steerage,
assist and encouragement in the course of the making an attempt instances of your research. Your
success is their reward!
Dear graduates,
- You have obtained the most effective training from one of many most interesting universities
on the planet. With your Rhodes University training, you may embrace
the long run with utmost confidence, braveness and conviction. - Always do not forget that the Rhodes University training you have got
obtained isn’t to your sole or personal profit. You are anticipated to make use of it
to advance the higher widespread good. - As you’re conscious, the previous two years have been essentially the most troublesome in
dwelling reminiscence. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered our
world as we knew it. - Many individuals have misplaced their lives; many have misplaced their livelihoods and
much more have misplaced hope. - Even as we rejoice your large achievements this afternoon, we
mourn the numerous lives that have been misplaced over the previous two years, particularly
these of our college students, employees and alumni. - We salute and honour the healthcare employees and all those that have
been, and nonetheless are, within the frontline of our nation’s battle towards the
COVID-19 pandemic. Every single day as they save the lives of others,
they place their very own lives and people of their relations at an enormous
danger. We commend them for his or her braveness, bravery, heroism and selfless
service to our nation and humankind. - Our nation and humanity look to you, graduates of this distinctive
college, to play your half within the shaping of a greater, a extra simply, a extra
humane, a extra equitable, a extra inclusive and a extra sustainable
future. - Your achievements as a Rhodes University graduate afford you an
alternative to contribute within the rebuilding of what COVID-19 has
broken.
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- I very a lot hope that you’ll place your data, abilities and skills at
the service of our society and humanity as we rebuild devastated lives
and destroyed economies, and as we rekindle shattered desires and
ruined hopes. - Not solely do you now carry mild with you, you’re the mild of the world.
May you shine at all times to ‘brighten the corner where you are’ and dispel
the darkness of ignorance, selfishness, greed, corruption, despair,
venality, injustice, violence, malfeasance, hatred, self-centredness and
indifference in the direction of the poor and the marginalised. - May you at all times be the explanation others really feel constructive and assured about
themselves, about life and about their future. And, could you at all times be a
beacon of hope and a supply of optimism for a greater and sustainable
future. - You have a lot to supply our ravaged society and damaged world! Never
for a second doubt your capability to make a constructive change in our
society and past. - Use the training, abilities and competencies you have got gained at Rhodes
University to make the world a greater place for all. As a graduate of the
University the place leaders be taught, we are going to anticipate you to guide wherever you
end up. - Never enable the worry of failure to drive you into the protection and luxury of
inaction. You are greater than equal to the challenges that may come your
approach. - To quote Marrianne Williamson,
“Our deepest worry isn’t that we’re insufficient. Our deepest worry is
that we’re highly effective past measure. It is our mild, not our darkness
that the majority frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be good,
attractive, proficient, fabulous?’ Actually, who’re you to not be? You are
a toddler of God. Your enjoying small doesn’t serve the world. There is
nothing enlightened about shrinking in order that different individuals will not really feel
insecure round you. We are all meant to shine, as kids do. We have been
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born to make manifest the glory of God that’s inside us. It’s not simply in
a few of us; it is in everybody. And as we let our personal mild shine, we
unconsciously give different individuals permission to do the identical. As we’re
liberated from our personal worry, our presence mechanically liberates
others.”
- In all that you simply do, could you at all times be guided by the values and
rules of social justice, empathy, kindness, integrity, honesty,
compassion, civility and human solidarity. Go on the market and make your
mark! - You at the moment are a part of a particular group – the alumni of Rhodes
University – extraordinary men and women who’re making exceptional
contribution and main change in lots of and various fields of human
endeavour. - We will anticipate no much less from you! We welcome you to this particular and
ever-growing group with whom you share a deep affection for this
wonderful establishment. - In the years to return, we are going to comply with your progress, growth and
success as an expert with a eager curiosity and we are going to applaud you
for the honour and credit score you deliver to your alma mater. - As we rejoice the achievements and educational success of our
college students, we additionally rejoice the fiftieth anniversary of our School of
Journalism & Media Studies, a big milestone certainly. - What started in 1970 as a single course in journalism with 17 college students,
rapidly grew right into a fully-fledged Department of Journalism in 1972. It is
now a School, housed in its personal state-of-the-art constructing, and providing a
big selection of undergraduate and postgraduate levels to over 500
college students. - Our warmest congratulations to the employees, college students and alumni of our
School of Journalism & Media Studies. You have all accomplished us proud! - We rejoice that our Constitution protects the proper to media freedom.
This is crucial for the well being of our Constitutional democracy.
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- As we rejoice this important milestone of our School of Journalism and
Midia Studies, we should document our concern and disquiet with the
determined makes an attempt to bully, intimidate, harass and silence one of many
greatest authorized journalists and a graduate of our University, Karyn Maughan.
Frivolous and vexatious court docket proceedings which can be with out advantage have
been instituted towards her. - Such flagrant abuse of the court docket processes is certain to fail and it’ll fail.
We stand with Karyn.
Dear graduates, - May you at all times cherish your college expertise and the privilege of
an distinctive training you have got obtained from this nice college. - And, could the bonds of friendships solid at Rhodes and rooted in your
shared experiences and recollections maintain you and final you a lifetime. - At the tip of this ceremony, if you find yourself reunited along with your liked
ones, please give them a heat hug and a kiss and whisper these phrases
of their ear: “Thank you for all that you’ve done for me.” They have made
today doable. - Let me conclude with the inspiring phrases of President Nelson Mandela
which I hope will information you:
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is
what difference we have made to the lives of others that will
determine the significance of the life we lead.” - Congratulations!
- We want you a lot success, happiness, discernment and fulfilment within the
years forward. - To all of you, Mazel tov!
- Asante sana. Enkosi. Ke a leboga. Ngiyabonga. Ke a leboha. Ndo
livhuwa. Ngiyathokoza. Obrigado. Inkomu. Shukraan. Merci beaucoup.
Baie dankie. Bol’shoye Spasibo. Thank you very a lot.