Freshman and Sophomore Convocation ceremony at CUIB Douala Campus.
Freshman and Sophomore students of the Catholic University Institute of Buea, the Growth Mindset Entrepreneurial University, have been enjoined to embrace the love for God and to put Him first in all that they do in their lives as they embark on their journey for professional and academic development in CUIB.
The call was made by His Lordship Michael Bibi, Chancellor/Pro-Chancellor of CUIB and the chief Shepherd of the Buea Diocese while delivering his homily during the Eucharistic celebration marking the first part of the ceremony for the 2023/2024 school year at the Douala campus.
His lordship Michael Bibi challenged the students to love one another as God demands from His children while avoiding all forms of hatred and disunity. By making a choice to be students of CUIB, the prelate told the freshmen that they have made an automatic choice to becoming distinct leaders and thus were challenged to put God first, embrace practical learning and practice morality in all that they do.
The second part of the event started with academic procession led by the university Marshall, the freshman students, accompanied by faculty members of the different departments, the top management team of CUIB, the guest speaker as well as the Chancellor/ Pro-Chancellor.
Welcoming the august assembly, Rev. Fr. Bartholomew Anyanwu, President of CUIB, began by appreciating the faculty and staff of the CUIB Douala campus for their dedication and services being offered to making sure that the students have the best of experience while they study at CUIB. He also appreciated the students for choosing CUIB as a place to begin their academic and professional journey.
He reminded the students about their obligation to CUIB and called on them to take their book work seriously and to avoid things that will compromise their values as Growth Mindset Students who seek to contribute to the sustainable development of their communities.
The Guest Speaker, Senior Barrister Agbor Balla Nkongho Felix, Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa and a revered human right lawyer, started his keynote discourse calling on the students to identify a role model and see how they can walk along the path of that role model to become the best version of themselves.
Bar. Balla added that we are in a rapidly changing world and thus the students should not only limit their minds on having the best of GPA but rather they should also learn news skills to enable them standout in the society because in the professional world skills are very important as most employers now look more on those who have that added value.
He concluded by challenging the freshmen and sophomores to be disruptive thinkers who are educated and not certificate oriented. In his presentation captioned “education and disruptive thinking” Barrister Nkongho reiterated that while certificates are important, what makes the difference in the larger society is the added value that makes one distinct from the crowd. He called on them to think out of the box, to make use of the internet positively and grab the necessary skills as they study at CUIB.
The next phase was the recitation of the Freshman and Sophomore oaths that was coordinated by the Vice President of Academic Affairs Research and Cooperation, Dr. Felicitas Mokom, who also coordinated the induction of two new faculty members.
The Chancellor/Pro-Chancellor of CUIB, his Lordship Michael Bibi, in his closing remark expressed his gratitude to the faculty and staff of CUIB Douala campus and encouraged them to continue to do the good work that they have been doing in making CUIB to stand out clearly from the numerous private higher institutions in Douala.
