The four-day graduation ceremony, consisting of nine sessions, will be held at the Quest Conference Estate in Vanderbijlpark, where the success and achievement of graduates in the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology will be celebrated.
According to Prof Linda du Plessis, acting campus rector, a graduation ceremony represents a celebration of the coming of age of the next generation of leaders; opinion formers; educators; entrepreneurs; technical experts and artists and as such the occasion is marked not only by the acknowledgement of achievement, but also the promise of future greatness. “A graduation ceremony is at the same time the beginning of an exciting new phase of your relationship with your alma mater,” says Prof Du Plessis and adds that upon receiving a qualification, a student’s status changes to that of a scholar and alumnus. “Our alumni are important ambassadors and friends of the campus,” explains Prof Du Plessis whilst adding that the NWU is extremely proud of its alumni network that spans not only the African continent but the world at large.
Young Alumni to step into the fore
All students that will be graduating during the upcoming graduation ceremonies, will become part of the campus’s Young Alumni Movement. As an alumna (female) or alumnus (male) graduate of the university, graduates are beckoned into the folds of the dynamic and ever growing network of graduates across the globe.
The word “alumni” – which is derived from the Latin term “alere”, means to nourish and the meaning of the word becomes even more symbolic when one relates it to the location of the campus next to the Vaal River. “Just as the leafy green trees on the banks of the majestic Vaal River is anchored and nourished by their roots digging deep in the fertile soil, so our pursuit for knowledge and accomplishment is nurtured by the enabling environment of the Campus,” says Zanele Ngobese, the campus’s alumni officer.
According to Zanele, the core function of the NWU Vanderbijlpark Alumni Office is to enable all graduates to keep in touch with the university and with each other whilst providing lifelong opportunities for alumni to support their alma mater, in whichever way they deem fit. As ambassadors of the university, alumni members play a vital role in the upkeep of the institution’s good reputation – both nationally and internationally. Members of the alumni fraternity also bears testament to the fact that a qualification from the NWU remains a sought after commodity.
The Alumni Office invites all graduates to sign-up to become part of the NWU’s alumni fraternity. “By making a conscious decision to be informed, the transition from life as a student to being a successful member of the working environment is made easy,” explains Zanele and adds that in exchange the University urges graduates to remember the role played by the different generations of graduates in shaping the future of the university – and more so, the Vanderbijlpark Campus.
For more information please contact the Alumni Office on 016 910 3250 or visit them on facebook
