Chancellor, Russ Ballard - very nearly the last word

The graduates turned up armed with amazing stories and lively groups of family and friends. The room was full of celebratory balloons and fancy table decorations so we took to the celebrations with gusto. The guest speaker, Dr Richard Shaw, described his Dirty Harry [...]]]>  

Chancellor, Russ Ballard - very nearly the last word

The graduates turned up armed with amazing stories and lively groups of family and friends. The room was full of celebratory balloons and fancy table decorations so we took to the celebrations with gusto. The guest speaker, Dr Richard Shaw, described his Dirty Harry student ranking system: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was a memorable night filled with “after years of skype talk, this is first time we have met face to face” types of stories.

We heard about others’ journeys, from Southern Belles to Invercargillians, and how distance study had made such a difference in so many lives. It was in the graduates’ stories that we found the commonalities that ring true with us all: it is important to strive, it is meaningful to succeed, it is important to always be learning, whatever form that may take.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Therese who organised our event, and to the graduates who attended and charmed us with their tales of hardship and eventual success, and to Richard our guest speaker, and finally,to the Chancellor, Russ Ballard, who had, very nearly, the last word.

EXMSS will release an article about the EXMSS Graduation Dinner soon so keep a look out and look forward to when you can sit down among friends, family and peers and be recognised for all the hard work you have done.