PRESS RELEASE
Haigazian University
From: Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Mexique Street, Kantari, Beirut
P.O.Box. 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Tel: 01-353010/1/2
01-349230/1
Haigazian University’s 48th Commencement Exercises
On Friday, July the 4th, 2008, Haigazian University graduated a record
number of 157 students, in the First Armenian Evangelical Church
courtyard, Beirut.
The ceremony honored 150 students from the faculties of Business
Administration and Economics, Humanities, Sciences, and Social and
Behavioral Sciences with the BA and BS degrees, and 7 students with the
Masters degree.
Among the 1200 invitees, were present Minister of Higher Education, Dr.
Khaled Kabbani representing the President of the Republic, Minister of
Administrative Affairs, Jean Oghassabian representing the Prime
Minister, and MP. Hagop Pakradounian presenting the Speaker of the
Parliament, in addition to deputies Pierre Daccache and Dr. Yeghia
Jerejian, the Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon, H.E. Roupen Kharazian,
university representatives, diplomats, clergy, members of the Board of
Trustees, parents, relatives, and fellow students.
The ceremony started as Faculty and Graduates marched through the crowd
of parents, relatives and friends in a remarkable processional march
"Pomp and Circumstance" by Sir Edward Elgar, followed by the Lebanese
National Anthem, and the Invocation by Rev. Robert Sarkissian, Vice
Chair of the Board of Trustees.
The University President, Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian welcomed the audience
and acknowledged the special guests on the stage. In his trilingual
speech, Haidostian stressed on the role Haigazian University and its
sister institutions are playing to counter the negative tides of our
days. "Key words in our world include development, advancement,
openness, inclusiveness and globalization. And yet, loneliness, stress,
lack of trust, racism, violence, disorientation, injustice and
dissatisfaction characterize the modern human situation…The young
generations deserve all the chances, all the support, and all the
guidance we could give," Haidostian said.
Haidostian reiterated the role of education, and its direct effect on
the quality of peoples’ lives. "All people in the world realize how
important it is to prepare young people who not only have received
formal education, but also informally enjoy a positive sense of mission,
a dynamic that builds, uplifts, shares, and harmonizes. After all,
quality of life and quality of education are inseparable," Haidostian
noted.
The guest speaker of the ceremony was the Minister of Economy and Trade,
Mr. Sami Haddad, who tackled the issue of the human capital of Lebanon.
"Lebanon’s great wealth is its people, or what economists refer to as
human capital. And it is the noble role of enhancing the knowledge of
our youth, sharpening their skills and challenging their intelligence
that our elite educational institutions, such as Haigazian University,
are fulfilling so well," Haddad explained.
Talking of economy, Haddad highlighted the important sectors of the
Lebanese economy, such as the banking sector, the medical services, the
educational system, and the agricultural and industrial sectors. "The
future of the Lebanese economy lies in high value added industries and
not ordinary ‘staple’ products that can only compete on the basis of
price. High value added industries tend to employ large numbers of
qualified people like the students who are graduating today from this
esteemed university," Haddad elaborated.
Afterwards, Registrar Roubina Artinian and Deans Fadi Asrawi and Arda
Ekmekji presented the graduates who received their degrees from
President Haidostian.
In their valedictorian addresses, Nayiri Kalajian, speaking in English,
considered that the aim of education should not only be knowledge, but
action. "Let us serve our community purposefully, for it is through our
service that we will realize our strengths to face the challenges that
will confront us," Kalayjian said. Whereas valedictorian Mirvat Al
Ammouri, speaking in Arabic, considered that the aim of education is to
raise the standard of living of people, thus improving the status of
humanity in general.
After singing the Alma Mater, the ceremony concluded with the
Benediction given by the President of the Union of the Armenian
Evangelical Churches in the Near East, Rev. Meguerdich Karageozian.
The class of 2008, threw their caps and walked heads high with a unique
recessional, "Trumpet Tune in C", by Henry Purcell, while celebratory
balloons flew high in the skies.