At Universidad Panamericana, we know the importance of traditions. That is why, we hosted our inaugural Commencement Ceremony at each of our university’s campuses (Mexico City, Aguascalientes, and Guadalajara).
At this event, which will be held at the beginning of each academic year from now on, new students were welcomed to join the student community. This commencement symbolizes renewal, sets the tone and goals for the months ahead, and transmits enthusiasm for the new academic year.
The entire academic staff, students, and members of the university community attended the celebration, with the special presence of Dr. Fernanda Llergo Bay, Dean of the UP-IPADE System.
UP Celebrates Its Inaugural Commencement Ceremony
The respective rectors of each campus were also present: Dr. Santiago García Álvarez from the Mexico City campus, Dr. Gabriel Domínguez García Villalobos from the Aguascalientes campus, and Dr. José Antonio Esquivias Romero from the Guadalajara campus.
Personal and academic growth
During her speech, Dr. Fernanda Llergo encouraged students as follows, “You will of course have a lot going on and face many challenges, but this is a truly unique period because, during this stage, you will go through the greatest and most intense transformation in life.”
UP Celebrates Its Inaugural Commencement Ceremony
She also called on young people saying, “We need you to learn the basics, the history, and the circumstances of your discipline so that you can detect needs and opportunities and thus be agents of change and impact that contribute to the creation of a better world.”
She also added, “You are not alone, you can count on us. And we are not alone, we count on you, dear students and dear professors. You are the best of Panamericana.”
UP’s challenges
In his Commencement message, Dr. Santiago Garcia referred to Panamericana’s mission of forming professionals, “We undoubtedly strive to demand a great deal because we trust in each student’s capabilities, but we will always do so with respect for their freedom and dignity because we want to bring out the best in each student,” he explained.
Regarding the university’s inspiration, he stated, “Being a university of Catholic inspiration means dialoguing based on the rigorous study of the different areas of knowledge, far from dogmatism and with respect for all, with a transcendent vision that opens both optimistic and realistic horizons.”
He added, “I am proud to be part of the academic staff of this university that values traditions, sophistication, and university symbols… An academic staff that is passionate and optimistic about the challenges posed by the contemporary world, and excited about building a hopeful future.”
A call to raise awareness
Dr. Gabriel Domínguez stated that, “Being a university professor is undoubtedly a gift, and being a Panamericana professor is a very special and unmerited privilege.”
He also appealed to those present: “Dear students, professors, and collaborators, we must be aware of our current historical moment. We must be aware of the role that society is crying out for us to play. We must be aware of what we can do to improve the conditions in which our society lives.”
“I am aware of the responsibility that comes with knowing that, in the near future, people under my present care will begin building their patrimony, family, and securing their freedom, their ability to relate and manage their emotions, and the development of their character; they will start founding companies on which the livelihood of hundreds of workers depends; or develop an algorithm that is useful to society, etc. The whole world will be as you build it!” he concluded.
A new era and opportunities
Dr. José Antonio Esquivias mentioned the 1981 course commencement ceremony, the first in Panamericana’s history.
“Higher education around the world has changed considerably since then. Massification, distance learning, lifelong education, the redefinition of teaching-learning relationships, as well as research, all create the need to renew how the university searches for truth and commits to it, with a vocation to serve others, without losing its essence.
He also added, “I hope that this new 2022-2023 academic year will allow us to continue growing in science, teaching, and service, with the ability to adapt and reinvent in order to face the conditions of our times, without losing our founding mission.”
The university’s Christian identity
At each event, Dr. Héctor Zagal, UP philosopher and research professor, gave the keynote lecture entitled La identidad cristiana de la universidad (The University’s Christian Identity), in which he spoke about the relationship between Christian thought and its influence on university formation.
“What does it mean for a university to have a Christian identity? The core message of Christianity is one of justice and charity. Christianity seeks to achieve a more just world, where the elderly, the sick, migrants, and the poor are not discarded. Therefore, a Christian-inspired university must be concerned with promoting a more equitable society.”
He emphasized, “Christian scholars should always work hand in hand with non-Christians because authentic Christianity must be inclusive and strive for medicine, finance, law, etc. to have respect for human beings at the center of their actions—therefore, freedom of conscience is a premise of Christianity, and a university inspired by Christianity is always committed to freedom, plurality, and inclusion.”
“Therefore, professors at a university with a Christian identity have the task of forming professionals in all fields, where technical skills and scientific excellence make a better, more just, and more loving world possible,” he concluded.
University tradition
This year’s Commencement Ceremony follows the more than seven-hundred-year-old tradition of certain prestigious European university institutions.
The ceremony includes symbols that signal its solemnity, like academic dress, medals awarded, the coat of arms, the university anthem, and university hymns. Finally, the dean decrees the beginning of the new academic year and, with it, a new year to educate people who seek the truth and are committed to it, promoting Christian humanism that contributes to building a better world.
As part of the protocol for the 2022 Course Commencement Ceremony, the Universidad Panamericana’s Symphony Orchestra played the university anthem, accompanied by the university choir. The academic faculty and members of the student community also participated in a procession.
