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Haigazian University's 48th Commencement Exercises

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  • Haigazian University's 48th Commencement Exercises

    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.
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