Two exceptional Kenyan students graduate

April 03, 2007

The High Commissioner for the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Mr John Lepi Lanyasunya, was a special guest at the University of New England's graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Economics Business sand Law (EBL) on Saturday 31 March.

Mr Lepi saw 236 graduands accept their awards in the last of four UNE graduation ceremonies this autumn. While he attended graduation last year as an unofficial guest, he said he was very happy to attend this time in an official capacity.

"I was particularly delighted to see my countrymen graduate," Mr Lepi said. "Michael Muchiri finished his PhD, and his compatriot, Francis Karanja, got his Master's degree. All the Kenyan students I have talked to speak very well of this university and I look forward to coming again to see more Kenyans graduate from here."

The two Kenyan graduates have been exceptional students. After finishing his studies at UNE, Dr Muchiri was appointed as a lecturer at Central Queensland University’s Rockhampton campus, where he currently teaches Human Resource Management and Management. Francis Karanja completed his Master's program in Economic Studies late last year with eight straight High Distinctions, and is expected to complete his PhD, which he started at the same time as his Master's studies, next year through the School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management.

Dr Muchiri said that the Occasional Address given by the retiring Executive Dean of EBL, Professor Roley Piggott, had been inspirational. (Professor Piggott is pictured here.)

"The address gave us the challenge to reach out to the world in the best way we can," he said. "I want to go back to Africa and contribute to the development there."

Roley Piggott graduated from UNE with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Agricultural Economics. He took up a position as Lecturer at UNE in 1979, and served as Head of the University's former Department of Agricultural Economics and Business Management, and of the School of Economics, before becoming Dean of EBL in August 2003. He will formally retire from UNE in July this year.

In his address, Professor Piggott described how the new graduates could help the University achieve its vision of regional focus and global impact while also extending their own careers. He gave examples of previous graduates' contributions through government and private industry.

He noted three main changes since he graduated: less regulation of the economy (meaning that individuals have more decisions to make), the necessity for awareness of other cultures, and the need to reduce our "environmental footprint".

"Our graduates will have to help ensure that our leaders do not revert to earlier thinking, causing us to experience, again, the negative consequences that result from over-regulation of the economy, cultural unawareness, and environmental nonchalance," Professor Piggott said.

THE PHOTOGRAPH of Professor Roley Piggott displayed here was taken at last Saturday's graduation ceremony.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at April 3, 2007 06:42 PM