Notre Dame University Bangladesh (NDUB) organized the orientation programme of its 16th batch on Wednesday at 3:30pm at its own campus.
Father Martin Nguyen, CSC (associate professor, Department of Arts, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA) was present as the chief guest at the programme. Also present was Professor Dr Father Patrick Daniel Gaffney, CSC (vice-chancellor), Father Adam S Pereira, CSC (registrar), Dr Father Leonard Shankar Rozario, CSC (deputy registrar), Father Tom McDermott, CSC (director, Language Center), Professor Dr Prakash Kumar Chakraborty, Father Lawrence Naresh Das, CSC (proctor), faculty members, staff, freshmen and invited guests.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the chief guest, along with other guests, took their respective seats. Following which the national anthem was sung in rhythm with the hoisting of the national flag. Notre Dame family cordially welcomed the guests and the new students with flowers.
In his welcome speech VC Father Patrick welcomed everyone to the Notre Dame family and outlined the aims and objectives of the university. For the students, he said that the best teacher for a student is himself. He can come to university and study in the library or work in the lab whenever he feels it. University students do not need to be told to study because they are aware of their education.
Registrar Father Adam S Pereira, CSC introduced all the new students to the Notre Dame family.
Nuzaima Nur Puffin, a student studying at the NDUB, gave a speech considering the present situation at the university said, “Considering the current situation, you are fortunate to have the opportunity to enroll in this university. You all have to grow up to be ideal people. Since getting admission into this university, I have received the support of the entire university for my education and co curricular activities. Everyone here has a spirit of service and cooperation. The university has 8 clubs to develop the students’ dormant talent. I hope you can bring your talents to life through the club. Recognize the fire that Notre Dame is trying to ignite in your heart and spread it around the world.”
Tasdikur Rahman expressed a feeling of gratitude on behalf of the new students, saying that his education started from a missionary institute. The contribution of missionaries to education in Bangladesh is vast. Notre Dame is also an educational institution run by missionaries. So he chose this university for getting his higher education.
The chief guest Father Martin Nguyen, CSC said, “Not only for information, not only for knowledge, we attend university. Rather, in this age of digital technologies, information is at fingertips and it is more than we can consume. However, we come to this place to explore whether from that information what new understanding can be drawn, how to put those information into a new context. That is the role of a university. The knowledge, the understanding that we acquire here generate a lot of imagination, application, and implication. Thereby, we form, transform, and change ourselves. We are the ones whose responsibility is to change the world for peace and harmony.”
Proctor's Father Lawrence Naresh Das, CSC informed the freshmen of about the rules of NDUB, he said that Notre Dame is a successful educational institution if judged by the standards of education. Regularity is at the core of what Notre Dame has done for the country and society.
Father Tom McDermott in his vote of thanks said, “NDUB completed their first convocation a while ago. We believe that the students who have passed from here will play an important role in the formation of country and nation.” About the philosophy of NDUB, he said, "The philosophy of this university is to help their students gain institutional knowledge by providing quality education to every student at a fixed and low cost which centers on morality and intellectual formation.”
