“We should start now changing our concept of education and adopt the theme that education is a lifelong continuous necessity and process,” said Dr. Sabbah Al Haj to the harvest of 2019 of the Center for Continuing Education at Haigazian University.
Chairman and General Manager of Management Plus, one of the leading Human Resources consulting firms in the region, Dr. Al Haj was the keynote speaker at the CCE graduating ceremony, which took place on Saturday, the 21st of September, 2019, in the beautiful garden of the University’s Heritage building. Proud parents, faculty, staff and friends were there to celebrate the harvest of 35 graduates, who successfully completed in the fields of Special Education and School Coordinators and Division Heads provided by the Teacher Training program, in addition to the fields of Human Resources, and Project Management offered in the Adult Education program.
The ceremony started with the processional march of the proud graduates, followed by the national anthem, and the welcoming word of Ms. Nathalie Bou Kheir from the office of the CCE.
Campus Minister, Rev. Dr. Wilbert Van Saane offered a prayer of gratitude, emphasizing the importance of knowledge that is paired with love, saying, “in our hearts we carry a prayer that our knowledge may benefit not only us, but many who will call upon us and look to us for guidance and also support.”
In his congratulatory address, CCE Director, Mr. Sebouh Gurunlian praised the efforts and commitment of the students, who have worked hard on their self-investment, progress and learning continuity. Gurunlian emphasized the role of the Center in identifying and detecting the changes in the field of Education and the work environment, promising the audience that the CCE will remain “the pioneer, in not only fulfilling the needs for training and continuous learning, but also in exceeding the expectations and becoming the tool for change.”
For his part, Keynote Speaker, Dr. Al Haj focused on the concept of the Inevitability of Change and Continuous Education. Giving examples from the industrial revolution to the most recent developments and inventions in the fields of information technology, artificial intelligence and robotic services, Al Haj pointed out to the leading fact of job redundancies and obsolete professions on one hand, and to the creation of new types of specialties coupled with new skills and expertise on the other hand. Speaking from his personal experience, Al Haj who has changed seven professions in his career path, from an agriculturist, to a professor in Business and Economics in various universities, to a banker and a Human Resources consultant and specialist, to name a few, Al Haj concluded his speech by reiterating the fact that “continuous education is the only path to stay up to date!”
With a sense of accomplishment and pride, Graduate Zeina Daroub Abou Faraj expressed her thankfulness to the University, the CCE program, and families. In her word of gratitude, Abou Faraj highlighted the concept of “Continuity in Learning”, inviting all her fellow graduates to always hold on to continuous and ongoing learning.
“May you never fail in preparedness, preparing for every day, for every development, and every task”, said University President, Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian to the graduates. Haidostian’s message focused on society’s views on education, training and schooling change over time. “While decades before, teachers were the leaders and students were the followers, in recent decades, with the emergence of the student-centered teaching systems, teachers’ roles have shifted to facilitation, encouragement, and accompaniment”, said Haidostian. Speaking about cultural changes in companies and organizations, Haidostian stressed the importance of “preparedness” as a best response to changes, which is exemplified in constant reviews of the way of accomplishing tasks, following developments, training to excel in the market race, and investing in skills, time, funds and training opportunities.
The program ended with conferring the degrees and a decent reception.
Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director