Students Welcomed at Historic and First Matriculation Ceremony in Belmopan – The new Academic Year 2017-2018 has begun for the University of Belize (UB). Faculty, staff and the leadership team formally welcomed students at the historic and first matriculation ceremony in Belmopan on 16th August, 2017. The packed ceremony took place from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the UB Jaguar Auditorium.
Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat, President of UB indicated to students that the matriculation is a formal ceremony “to mark your enrollment as a student of the National University of Belize. It symbolizes your right of passage into this University, that you have met the standards for entry into our University and that you are now all enrolled as a student in a Certificate, Associate Degree or Degree program of the UB”.
As of Tuesday, 15th August, 2017, UB had registered 4,668 new and returning students. 1158 new students, 630 of whom are females matriculated on Wednesday. UB has registered 367 new students in Belize City out of a total of 1618 students; in Belmopan 665 new students out of 2,623; in Punta Gorda 109 new students out of 378; and at Central Farm 17 new out of 46 in total. But all of these numbers will change as the registration exercise continues.
Since UB is Belize’s National University, its importance was also shared in the keynote address which was delivered by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Honorable Patrick Faber. Minister Faber reflected on his own journey as a young student and shared the perspective that the nearly 5,000 students at UB are a great investment for the future of Belize. He also urged that the young people of Belize must be given opportunities to succeed.
Following the keynote address and a musical interlude, the students recited the matriculation oath that speaks to their obligations as UB students. The signing of the matriculation register was then completed by students representing the Faculty of Education and Arts; the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences; the Faculty of Nursing, Allied Health and Social Work, and the Faculty of Science and Technology. The new ambassadors of the University were also afforded the opportunity to speak with the institution’s leaders.
The second matriculation ceremony will be in Belize City on August 23rd, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Bliss Institute for Creative Arts where the featured speaker will be UB Board Chairman Mr. Harrison Pilgrim. This will be followed by one in Punta Gorda.
