Messages at the Ceremony |
Opening Address
by Dr Wing Lam
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Graduates and distinguished guests
Today is a day of celebration. I would like to congratulate the graduates of 2009 on reaching a major milestone of achievement. For some, the journey has been longer than others, particularly for our MMIT and MBA graduates, who have had to endure what I’m sure must have been much personal sacrifice away from family and friends.
Everyone has personal memories of their time at college or university. When I graduated with my PhD some 15 years ago, one of the things that I remember the most is how incredibly painful it was for me to write a 150,000 word thesis. I’m sure it was as equally painful for the professors who had to read it.
In 15 years time, when you see the certificate you are about to receive today, proudly hung up on the wall, what will you remember about your learning experience at U21Global? Will it be countless late nights you spent logging into the learning system burning the midnight oil? Or will it be the online discussion boards and the anticipation of seeing who has responded to your postings? Perhaps it will be the quirky professor you got to know quite well even though you never physically met. Or maybe it is the network of fellow students you interacted with who happen to live on the other side of the planet but are now only a click away as friends on Facebook. Or could it be the mad rush of submitting your OBOW exam paper at precisely 23 hours and 59 minutes on the dot, just before the deadline is up.
Or maybe, it is quite simply, the sheer satisfaction of having accomplished something significant in life based on your own determination and merit.
Ladies and gentleman, in 15 years time, the world might be a very difficult place to what it is now. Arguably the single most significant development that has happened over the last 50 years has been globalization. Thomas Friedman wrote an international best-selling book in 2005 entitled ‘The World is Flat’. In his book, he talked about the need for companies and individuals to remain competitive in a global market where geographical divisions and boundaries are becoming less relevant.
Let me give you a few recent examples of globalization. When Lehman Brothers in the US was declared bankrupt in November 2008, financial institutions around the world panicked to see how much of their own assets had been contaminated by Lehman’s toxic assets. In Singapore, a 72-year old grandmother and hundreds of other Singaporeans lost substantial amounts of their savings through the purchase of Lehman bonds. Two months after the first case of swine flu was detected in Mexico in April, 74 countries have since officially reported a total of almost 30,000 cases. The end result is a global pandemic. We all know of course that computer viruses spread even faster. Harnessing the power of the Internet, President Barrack Obama used globalization to reach out to millions of Americans around the world, to spread his message for presidency. The rest, as they say, is history.
The world is indeed flat, but not only that, it is getting flatter and more tightly inter-connected. Globalisation affects us all in one way or another. We now talk about the global economic downturn, the global financial crisis, the global pandemic, global warming, the global war on terror. Even the American Idol has become a global phenomenon.
And of course, let us not forget, there is global education, which neatly brings us back to you as graduates from U21Global.
When the presidents and Vice-Chancellors of the U21 universities set up U21Gobal 8 years ago, they knew that globalization would gradually begin to change the education landscape. This is not to say that existing brick-and-mortar universities will become less relevant, far from it, but that the ivy league would now have to compete with the innovation league, a new breed of academic institution offering powerful new learning experiences that would appeal to those who wish to be part of a global student community rather than a localized one. U21Global is of course, one such pioneering institution, and as I look around this room today, I see global education in action.
Make no mistake about it, while the long and distinguished heritage of the U21 member universities serves as the foundation for academic quality, U21Global is a dynamic, enterprising academic institution that aims to set new standards in global education.
The truth of the matter, however, is that the reputation of any institution rests largely on one important factor – namely, the quality of the graduates that it produces. So as you collect your hard-earned certificate today, remember that, in 15 years from now, the true value of U21Global in the marketplace is not so much about what we do as an institution, but what you do out there as a U21Global graduate. I hope you will be successful in making your mark in whatever endeavor you chose to pursue.
Congratulations once again, and thank you.
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Valedictory Address
by Mr David Newton Studden
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Good Afternoon!
I would first of all like to thank U21Global for giving me this opportunity to speak today and I trust that my thoughts and feelings will reflect that of my fellow graduates gathered here.
Today has been a day that all of us have been waiting a long time for. And while I have a feeling of relief at completing my MBA, I definitely do not have a feeling of regret. I think I speak for all of us, when I state that I am proud of this certificate. It was a long cherished dream and a personal goal.
All of us in the program had pressures on us – work pressures, family pressures, basic human pressures – that made it virtually impossible to find that time to attend regular classes. U21Global however gave us the opportunity to make this MBA possible. I still remember the day that I signed up – with apprehensions as to whether I would ever complete the MBA.
U21Global was an integral part of my family and was basically my virtual family for a few years (not that my wife was happy about it!!) – one where I have spent quite a few sober night and weekends with.
I would like to thank everyone who made this possible, in particular my wife Judith, and my two boys Nihal & Aaryan, who unfortunately are not here today. I would also like to thank my professors, fellow students and all the staff in U21Global.
It seems strange – here we are all together, most of us having never met before – but all having a common reason for being here. Most of us know each other well, from the various online discussions, the team assignments, the various interaction – that is the beauty of our virtual inter-connected world. I remember with fondness the team assignments – those were complicated. Getting a virtual team together definitely had it unique challenges but was fun.
I would like to quote from Peter Senge, who is a professor at MIT and a well know author;
“When you ask people about what it is like being part of a great team, what is most striking is the meaningfulness of the experience. People talk about being part of something larger than themselves, of being connected, of being generative. It becomes quite clear that for many, their experiences as part of truly great teams stand out as singular periods of life lived to the fullest. Some spend the rest of their lives looking for ways to recapture that spirit. I think the U21community effectively captures that spirit.
And is it all just about the certificate – the answer is No. I think that this MBA gave us a lot more than a certificate – it gave is the ability to become more mature individuals, better rounded professionals, more in tune not only with business requirements, but day to day needs as well. What I learnt was not learning just for learning sake – but learning that I could take and implement in the real world. I think the varied cultures and experiences that all of us were able to connect and interact with, helped us to grow as individuals. Speaking for myself, it helped me immensely from a professional perspective.
Talking a little bit of the current and the future – times of great change such as these are always times of anxiety, but also of great opportunity and hope. It seems everything is in a state of flux and thoughtful people know that there are no quick and easy answers. But that also know that the quality of their ideas and authenticity of their actions can shape the future. I hope that we can count ourselves among those thoughtful people who have the ability and capability to be more effective and sought after professionals.
In conclusion, I wish you all the very best for the future and I am sure that we all will meet again – whether in the real world or in cyberspace. And for whatever new journey you may be undertaking – whether educational, professional or personal, I wish you all success.
Take care and thank you.
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Closing of Ceremony
by Mr Nick Hutton
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Graduates, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
Welcome to this auspicious occasion and thank you for taking time out of your weekend to be with us.
As tea is approaching, I will keep my closing remarks brief....
A celebration indeed is what it is – and you should all be incredibly proud of your achievements...but pride is not all – let’s not forget that you are pioneers and innovators – what we are doing at U21Global is shifting a paradigm - this is a momentous occasion and one that we should all remember for a long time to come.
I would like to thank you all for your exemplary efforts and your dedication to completing what must have seemed initially a daunting task – at times the journey may have seemed like a struggle; but today you are better prepared to face the future with a sense of achievement. Beyond doubt, this has been an accomplishment and we at U21Global celebrate this success with you! I would also like to extend enormous gratitude to your family and friends who have no doubt been a major factor in allowing you to complete your studies and graduate.
This pioneering effort of yours is one of the major reasons why U21Global is growing so rapidly – and our growth means a greater acceptance and recognition of your achievement. We have now enrolled over 6,500 students across 72 countries – quite an accomplishment in such a short space of time since we enrolled our first student. In addition many large corporations are now entrusting their management development training requirements to U21Global sending employers a strong message about the value that an achievement with U21Global stands for.
As we move towards the end of this ceremony, I would urge you all to become active members of our growing alumni. As any university grows it starts to understand that the real measure of the university is in the strength of the student and alumni networks. To enhance this network, we have recently setup the U21Global Alumni Relations office to assist in the development of a strong student and alumni network. In addition to the main U21Global Network, we have also set up chapters and chapter committees in several of our regions including Singapore, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, UAE, Philippines and China. We are fortunate this afternoon to have the U21Global Network members from the Singapore Chapter here and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the committee members to you: Mr. Johnny Ang (President), Mr. Mark Lim (Vice President), Ms Yang Jai Min, Mr. Suresh Devnani, Mr. Tan Kim Lim, Mr. Sunil Agrawal, & Mr. Stanley Soh (all Exec Committee Members)
We would very much encourage all our graduating students to be part of the U21Global Network and suggest that you introduce yourselves to the committee members during tea and hope, of course, that you will be able to contribute to the success of the alumni network as you progress through your career.
Singapore Network Chapter
President: Johnny Ang (Mr)
Vice-President: Mark Lim (Mr)
Secretary: Yang Jia Min (Ms)
Exec Committee Member: Suresh Devnani (Mr)
Exec Committee Member: Tan Kim Lim (Mr)
Exec Committee Member: Sunil Agrawal (Mr)
Exec Committee Member: Stanley Soh (Mr)
Again many congratulations to all of you and thank you.
I hereby declare the ceremony closed.
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