Catholic University holds joint Matriculation, Congregation
The Catholic University College of Ghana (CUCG), Fiapre, at the weekend held its joint 20th Matriculation and 12th Congregation ceremony, during which 996 graduates were awarded degree and diploma certificates.
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Five thousand, one hundred and thirty-one students have so far graduated from the university college.
It is affiliated to the University of Ghana (UG), Legon and the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
At last Saturday’s ceremony, 668 among the 996 graduates received their academic awards from the UG, while the remaining 338 received theirs from the UCC.
At the ceremony, 480 new students were also admitted to the university after taking their matriculation oath.
Dedication and service
Addressing the students, a member of the governing council of the college, Reverend Monsignor Dr John Opoku-Agyemang, advised them to be dedicated wherever they found themselves.
“When you start work, you need to be honest citizens,” he said and advised them to “stay away from people who will belittle your intelligence and potentials.”
Rev. Msgr Dr Opoku-Agyemang said the vision of the Catholic Church in establishing the institute was to create a unique university college that could make a distinctive contribution to national development.
“Our gathering here is a testimony of the Catholic Church’s mission to promote academic excellence, moral and ethical values as well as the integral personal development of its students and their commitment to service.”
Undergraduate education
For his part, the acting Vice Chancellor of the CUCG, Dr Anthony Bonnah Koomson, challenged the graduates to pursue advanced degree or professional education.
“Undergraduate is only a preparation for your utmost capability,” he added.
He also advised them to leave the college with a passion to do what was right and care about getting things right.
“If you have passed through the gates of the Catholic University, then you must pass the integrity test, when challenged.”
He reminded them to be conscious of the fact that “the society is not interested in what you know. It is interested in what you are.”
Build Networks
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Domwini Dabire Kuupole, who was the guest speaker, urged the matriculating students to remember that their academic pursuit had brought them closer to people of different backgrounds.
“Take advantage and build a network for your future. Share the experiences you have gathered all these years among yourselves to enrich your outlook, for this is what academic enterprise is about.”
Prof. Kuupole also advised the graduates to make extraordinary efforts to improve themselves so that they could stand out from the rest.
He stated that in the 21st Century, skills and certificates were not enough and, therefore, challenged the students to start running.
“Whether you are a lion or gazelle, you have to run faster than others and excel in order to survive. The implication of running is that you should be the best of whatever you are or do”, he stated.
The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Justice Samuel Adjei, commended the Catholic Church for its cardinal role in supporting the government in the discharge of its social responsibilities.
He asked the graduates to use their acquired knowledge to help in planning, designing and monitoring systems that worked wherever they found themselves.
