Prof. Dr. Ing. Valdemar Marcha, Rector-Magnificus
June 27, 2015
Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen
It is with pleasure and pride that this evening I present our Class of 2015 with the following degrees and majors:
16 Bachelor of Business Administration in International Hospitality & Tourism Management
40 Bachelor of Business Administration in General Management
1 Bachelor of Accountancy
3 Master of Science in Accountancy
2 AA (Administratie Accountantsconsulenten)
1 Master of Business Administration in Educational Management
12 Master of Business Administration in General Management
Total 75
In addition 8 certificates of completion
Dear graduates, this evening you are standing here before me because you strove to work to your potential, you aimed high, you set ambitious goals and you met them. We are very proud of every single one of you and congratulate you with your beautiful achievement.
Our task at ICUC has been to help place the future of this island community in capable hands; the hands of graduates like you who have been trained to think, feel and act responsibly towards the common good and the best interests of the individual.
As you stand on the brink of moving into life beyond ICUC you will be welcomed by a large diversity of what I call challenges and opportunities on many fronts in your private and public circumstances. These challenges and opportunities will be concentrated in the traditional institutions such as family, neighborhood, workplace, region or even Kingdom. I am confident that you will meet them succesfully and in a way that will enrich your life and that of others now and in the near future
A future that should hold peace and prosperity for all. A desired future that too often requires us to make major changes in the way we perceive each other and our own best interests. Yet, whatever change we would like to see, requires us to be actively involved as President Barack Obama has so eloquently stated: "We are the change that we would like to see." E kambio ku nos ke mira ta kuminsá serka nos mes.
Curacao needs ambitious and well-trained graduates like you. Not only with your technical and academic skills, but primarily with that positive cultural identity that we promote as citizens. With cultural identity I refer to those values, norms, rituals,heroes and symbols that we identify with and hold on to in order to be able to build a healthier society that we all can and will call home.
Dear graduates, we are living in a time of rapid technological growth with all kinds of very smart devices and networks. That is all very efficient and effective commercially. Yet technology celebrates connectedness, but encourages retreat."
"Psychologists who study empathy and compassion are finding that unlike our almost instantaneous responses to physical pain, it takes time for the brain to comprehend the psychological and moral dimensions of a situation. The more distracted we become, and the more emphasis we place on speed at the expense of depth, the less likely and able we are to care."
Therefore, your career path is important, but should not be one un-ending and ambitious assault on whatever professional peak you envision for yourself. There are likely to be plateaus along the way. "Do not always be in a hurry, sacrificing time with your family, your health, your friendships, and whatever brings you joy on the assumption that you can catch up on all that in your retirement, or after you have gotten that much-desired-promotion. Friendships are now! Love is now! Life is now!
Finalizing I would also like to salute and congratulate the dedicated teachers who have guided, molded and shaped this wonderful Class of 2015. Your role has been enormously instrumental in preparing the promising potential you met years ago. You assumed your responsibility towards the Class of 2015, this university, this community and our world. You had an important role in reinforcing our hopes for the future. We thank you for that.
As rector-magnificus, it is furthermore my hope that as many of you now exit the university to continue in the world of work and the professions, you will leave behind an alma mater that will continue to grow in quality, relevance and capacity to serve. And that you will find ways to contribute materially and intellectually to its growth. Solid, stable, quality institutions of higher learning are essential for the overall development of our society to meet the challenges of a modern and global world.
I wish you all very good lives!
Thank you very much!