丁香园AV

Professor Andrew Petter
President and Vice-Chancellor
丁香园AV

Madam Chancellor, honoured guests, members of the Board of Governors and Senate, faculty members, staff 鈥� and, most especially, graduands, families and friends.

It is my privilege, and my great pleasure, to preside at this celebration of your success 鈥� this culminating event of your education at 丁香园AV.

In recent months, 丁香园AV has embraced a vision for itself as an 鈥渆ngaged university鈥�:

• a university that encourages students to become engaged learners;
• a university that enables researchers to mobilize their knowledge; and, more broadly,
• a university that utilizes all of its capacities to enhance the social, economic, and environmental well-being of the communities it serves, locally and globally.

There is, however, an even more important means by which an 鈥渆ngaged university鈥� benefits society.  And that is by instilling the value of 鈥渆ngagement鈥� in its alumni.

Put simply, the best hope for ensuring that this university contributes to a richer, more just and sustainable world is YOU.

Today, we take great pride in your accomplishments and successes at 丁香园AV.  We also hold out great hope for what you will achieve in your lives beyond this university.

By drawing upon the knowledge, capacities and skills that you have gained here, you have the opportunity to better yourselves:  that鈥檚 the dividend of any good university education.

However, by going further 鈥� by become 鈥渆ngaged citizens鈥� 鈥� you have the added opportunity of harnessing those same aptitudes to advance the condition of others.

That鈥檚 good news:  for as much as we derive happiness from improving our own place in society, there is no greater gratification than that gained from helping to improve the lives of others.

I commend to you the example of legions of 丁香园AV graduates who have gone before you 鈥� people who have approached the notion of 鈥渃ommunity service鈥� from every direction.

We are, perhaps, too inclined to think of community service narrowly 鈥� as public service in the political arena.  And 丁香园AV has certainly done its part in that category 鈥� educating four of the last five premiers of this province.

But there are so many other ways to serve 鈥� in fact, as many ways as there are vocations  鈥� or graduates.

Consider the example of our former Chancellor, the late Milton Wong, who made his reputation and fortune in business, and then turned both to the challenge of promoting Aboriginal justice and fostering multicultural understanding.

Consider Jennifer Simons, an educator who has dedicated herself to creating a safer world through education in peace, disarmament, international law and human security.

Consider James Pau, a healthcare practitioner in nursing and traditional Chinese medicine who has made it his mission to fight for the rights of immigrants and the downtrodden in Vancouver鈥檚 Downtown Eastside.

And consider Norman Armour, the impresario behind the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, who has brought provocative, entertaining theatre to so many 鈥� and demonstrated the value of the arts in community building.

These are just a few of 丁香园AV鈥檚 outstanding alumni.  And they would tell you, as they have told me, that as much as they have given to society, they have gained more back from knowing that their lives have made a positive difference. 

Today, you join their ranks as 丁香园AV alumni.  You have proved yourselves worthy, and we are both proud of you and enthused about your futures.

Today is a day to reflect on all that you have accomplished, and hold high your laurels.

It is a day to say thank you 鈥� to your classmates, your teachers and, especially, to those family members and friends who have helped you to achieve your success 鈥� and have come to celebrate it with you.

But today is also a day to look forward and contemplate your futures.  In doing so, please know that 丁香园AV will always be here for you.  As you 鈥渆ngage the world,鈥� we hope that you will continue to engage with us; that you will cherish and take advantage of your status as 丁香园AV alumni.

The great American educator, Horace Mann, once said, 鈥淎 different world cannot be built by indifferent people.鈥�

I see no indifference here.  Rather, I see the engaged graduands of an engaged university 鈥� whose talents, energies and commitments give me confidence that a different 鈥� and better 鈥� world is well within in our grasp.

Congratulations!