Graduation: a joint achievement
Professor Andrew Parfitt, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) reminds us that graduation is a time for us all to celebrate education and our role in it.
In the coming weeks, the University of Newcastle will proudly celebrate the achievements of around 4600 graduating students across all Faculties. As many staff will vividly recall, fulfilling a long-held academic goal is one of life's proudest moments.
At UON, our commitment to equity and access to education means that a tertiary education is often a first-in-family event, making graduation an especially proud moment that resonates for generations to come.
The graduation ceremony, with its formalities and traditions, is fittingly unique. For many of our graduates and their families, it is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. This year, to celebrate our 50th anniversary, some of our graduating students will have the added excitement and honour of being part of a parade through the city, as they make their way to their graduation ceremony in the Civic Theatre.
Join the celebration - your University, our community
While the day belongs without question to the graduating students, the 2015 graduation parade on Thursday April 16 is an opportunity for UON staff, current students and the broader community to join the celebration. It is a moment for Newcastle to celebrate how far we have come and aspire to even greater achievements in the future.
For staff it is an opportunity to celebrate our personal contributions to UON and its regions, and to acknowledge that together, we have bestowed upon each student an invaluable gift – the gift of education.
Many of the graduands will have made a start in their careers. Others will be deciding their next move. What each of them will in time discover is that the value of their UON education is far greater than the content of lectures.
In providing a world-class university education we are equipping our students to think and analyse; to question and review; to aim high and meet challenges. A UON education also teaches the value of relevance, collegiality and humanity. These are the people we are sending out into world to become future leaders and together, we should all take great pride in that achievement.
I hope to see many of you join us on Thursday 16 April from 1pm.
Andrew
Details on the 2015 Graduation parade
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.