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Cynthia Honan's Vote of Thanks

April 03, 2006

Chancellor, Deputy Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, other members of the UNE Council, dignitaries, official guests, academic staff, family and friends, and fellow graduands.

It is with great pleasure and honour that I present the Vote of Thanks on behalf of all graduands of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, here on this special occasion.

For many of us graduands, it is hard to believe that we have finally made it. And whilst we all have our own special story to tell of our time here with The University of New England, we can all agree that it has certainly been a long journey.

I started my studies with The University of New England in 2001 as an external student, with what began as a mere curiosity in the field of psychology. Studying at Australia’s first regional university, and leading university for distance education, meant that I had the opportunity to pursue my interests in psychology whilst continuing full-time employment. For many other graduands here, being an external student also meant having the opportunity to study whilst actively participating in family life. Without the distance education so generously offered by The University of New England, higher learning for many of us would simply not be possible.

Perhaps my most memorable experience as a student of the University was the abundant opportunity to meet and interact with likeminded people. This opportunity was a result of attending classes, residing in the colleges, involvement in interest groups, or participation in residential schools. I made lifelong friends here - and I feel extremely privileged to be graduating with some of them today.

What was also significant about my time here at The University of New England was the manner in which I was inspired to pursue my goals and meet the challenges proposed by higher learning. The provision of high quality teaching resulted in a curriculum that was both stimulating and extremely rewarding.

Furthermore, the personalised support and encouragement I received from staff within the university, whether it was for academic matters, administrative matters, or even personal matters, can only be commended. Through this support, I learnt that genius was not the key to success, but rather, it was simply hard work and determination. It wasn’t long before my initial curiosity in psychology became a passion -- and it was this passion that ultimately lead to my decision to pursue full-time study in the final year of my degree.

The support and encouragement I received from both academics and study colleagues is truly a testament to the University’s ability to facilitate a great learning and teaching environment. It is really no wonder that The University of New England has a well-earned reputation as one of Australia's great teaching, training and research universities.

I must also acknowledge efforts by The University of New England to make scholarships available to students with high academic ability or lack of financial support. The University offers rewards and support to students worth more than $1.3 million each year. However, this tremendous effort is not possible without the generosity of scholarship donors in the wider community. On behalf of all graduands who received scholarships, I wish to thank these donors for their continuing support. For many, the ability to study and achieve high academic success would not have been possible without them.

I extend very special thanks to family and friends who have helped us over the years. Your unreserved support through all the triumphs and tribulations will never be forgotten.

On behalf of all graduands, I therefore thank The University of New England and all those who have helped us along the way, for giving us the opportunity to attend this great institution. Rest assured that as we now continue our journey into the world of work, further study or other exciting opportunity, we can be proud of the fact that we were awarded a qualification from this university.

I thank you once again!

Posted by Leon Braun at April 3, 2006 03:00 PM