Graduation Day 2018

Graduation Day 2018

On Sunday 1 July 2018, the 15th edition of GSD’s Graduation Day took place at the Domain de Penthes parc area. Our students, graduating from Bachelor, Master, Executive and Doctorate level programmes, were conferred their degrees among the presence of their family and friends. The 2018 class representatives gave inspiring and powerful speeches that remembered us that we all have a part in creating a better world. GSD also conferred two Honorary Doctorate Degrees this year; the first to Ambassador William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organization for Migration, and the second to Ambassador Zlatko Dizdarevic, author and writer. For pictures from this joyful event, please see our Facebook page or our Flickr album. To all the students: We congratulate everyone with their incredible achievements. Your new university degree will prove, over time, to be an important tool in the further development of your career and well being. It is our deepest hope, however, that you will also use the diploma for the benefit of others – most of whom are far less fortunate than yourself. And that you will remember the words “serviendo guberno” – that to lead is to serve. Good luck with your future endeavours and keep in touch! Honorary Doctorates Ambassador William Lacy Swing was conferred the honorary doctorate degree, because of his outstanding international leadership in our common coping with one of history’s greatest migration crises; for his long, untiring and distinguished career as UN Under-Secretary-General, as Special Representative of the UN Secretary General and, as former Ambassador of the United States to Liberia, to South Africa, Haiti, to both Congo´s; for his skilled mobilization of comprehension, coherence and cooperation in the sharping of global migration policy as Director General of the International Organization for Migration; for his historic rejection of any globalization in indifference, and thus, for the leadership, intelligence, compassion and vision he brought to “a world on the move”. Ambassador Zlatko Dizdarevic was conferred the honorary doctorate degree, because of his long, distinguished writing career before and after the end-of-century Yugoslav conflicts; but especially for his valorous, historically important role in defending truth and democracy during the 1990s fascist siege of Sarajevo; for, at direct danger to his life, standing his ground physically and philosophically when so many others were killed or fled; and thus, in those dark days, lightening a candle that will be seen as a beacon, a lantern and a light unto future generations, and, as `branilac istine, branilac grada´ – defender of truth and defender of the city.