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EIT Hawkes Bay Celebrates 2009 Graduates

April 26, 2010

EIT Hawke”s Bay will confer more than 493 diplomas, degrees and postgraduate qualifications at its institute-wide graduation ceremony on Friday, March 26.

The traditional ceremony follows the awarding of certificates to students in faculty ceremonies held in December last year. In total, 1419 qualifications will have been conferred to honour academic achievement in 2009.

A traditional and formal occasion, the graduation ceremony is to be held at the Hawke”s Bay Opera House.

It will be staged in two sessions because of the number of qualifications being awarded. One to start at 10.30 am for the graduates of Arts and Social Sciences, and Business and Computing in the other, at 2:30 pm, graduands from Health and Sport Science, Science and Technology and Māori Studies/Te Manga Māori will be capped.

Davina Wainohu, Bachelor of Applied Social Sciences – Social Work, will speak on behalf of the graduating class in the morning. Fellow valedictorian, James Wilkie graduating with the Bachelor of Wine Science, has been selected to address the afternoon session.

Professor Mark Orams will be the guest speaker for both ceremonies.  He joined AUT as Associate Director of the New Zealand Tourism Research Institute (NZTRI) and is also a member of staff in the School of Hospitality and Tourism.

In addition to his background as a professional yachtsman, and his work with the Sir Peter Blake Trust, Professor Orams is a respected researcher in marine science; coastal and marine tourism; sport management; and sustainable development. He holds a Bachelor”s degree in environmental planning; a Master of Science; and a PhD from The University of Queensland focusing on marine science. He has published three books and over 30 scientific papers.

Chris Collins, chief executive at EIT said, “Graduation is a very special day for all of us! For our graduands, it”s a milestone that acknowledges hard work, commitment, sacrifice, ability and achievement. For family and friends, it”s an opportunity to celebrate the achievement of someone you love and take some quiet satisfaction from the support and encouragement you”ve been able to provide.”

“For council and staff our annual graduations are a boost and a very tangible reminder of why we are here. For the wider community it”s an opportunity to say “thank you” to a group of people who have made an investment in the future and who we hope will develop into future leaders in our community and nation.”

“A special congratulations to our graduands – I know you will bring credit to yourselves, your families, EIT and the communities in which you live and work. Enjoy your day and bask in your success. We are proud of you.”

Other notable information:

– 25 special awards for achievement
– First graduates of the Concurrent Bachelor of Recreation and Sport and Bachelor of Business Studies.  These students study for four and a half years to achieve two degrees.
– Seven graduates of the Master of Nursing. Three graduates have achieved “Merit” and one graduate has achieved “Distinction”.