New students enrolled at the University of Guyana (UG) were on Friday urged by Vice-Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith to “cross the sea” to higher education.
Through a series of engaging exercises at the ceremonial opening of the new academic year, Griffith asked the students to follow the advice of Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Griffith asked that students remember that “you can’t cross the sea merely by standing and looking at the water.”
Whether the intention is to secure a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, Public Management or Nursing, that goal lies on the other side of the sea that is UG, he said.
The university, he stressed, is not just about credentials; rather, it is about education and not just the education that comes from books but that which will lead to a well-rounded graduate.
Referencing his own experiences at UG in the 1970s, Griffith told the students that as a student leader who was active in sports he learned lessons he could never have learnt in the classroom.
He, therefore, called for all students to join one of the many clubs and organisations on campus. They were also advised to create a club for an activity they were interested in, if none currently exists.
All these efforts, according to Griffith, are to be made on the student’s journey to excellence and one which must be taken with integrity.
The Vice-Chancellor’s advice to the students was very similar to that given by the President of the Students’ Society Ron Glasgow.
Glasgow told the students that UG is a “place that can make you, break you or break you to make you.
“You must remember your goal and be willing to speak up. If you feel you are being mistreated, speak up. Even if it turns out to be just a misunderstanding, don’t be afraid to represent yourself or seek representation from the Society. We are here to assist you,” Glasgow stressed.
