(ANS – Guwahati) – The Governor of Assam and Visitor to Assam Don Bosco University, Shri Janaki Ballav Patnaik, on 12 September, presided at the 3rd annual Convocation together with the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and a galaxy of dignitaries from civil, church and academic institutions in the city. Degrees were conferred on 400 students.  

Addressing the gathering of some 1,000 people, the Governor encouraged the students “take one step at a time and if you make a mistake, just learn from it and move on… Believe that you can do anything you put your mind to. Nothing is impossible if you have the conviction in your dreams to fulfill your goals and overcome the obstacles that may come your way.”

The ADBU Chancellor and the Salesian Provincial of Guwahati Fr V.M. Thomas appealed to graduates saying, “use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice...” Then the Chancellor reminded graduates of the words of Don Bosco: “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to dream and to do better.”

Presenting a report on the academic year Vice Chancellor Dr Stephen Mavely announced that the new Masters degree courses in Mass Communication, Physics, and Electrical & Electronics Engineering had started this semester. He also congratulated the first group of MA students in Human Rights (Child Rights & Development), as well as the first group of DBU Global, an on-line programme in distance education.

Breaking away from the traditional university certification, ADBU this year introduced an additional one-page certificate giving a detailed and comprehensive picture of the candidate`s academic performance, as well as the skills that the student acquired and demonstrated during his/her time at the University.

Moreover, the Vice Chancellor announced that the University`s permanent campus at Tapesia with the first cluster of buildings and allied facilities would be ready by June 2015: “The detailed Master Plan has ample provisions also for recreational and sports facilities, parks and quiet corners, cycle paths and jogging trails, a bio-diversity park, an amphitheatre, a convention centre, a school and a health centre, and a lake within the campus for the harvesting of rainwater. A mini golf course, a health centre, and a shopping centre, are other projects being planned for the 500 acre Tapesia tea garden campus.”

Published on 15/09/2014