Inauguration of the Digital Media Center

2 September 2003

The Digital Media Center was inaugurated in Bethlehem University, with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. Ms. Paula Lehtomaki, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development of Finland, attended, along with Ms. Maria Serenius, Director General for Africa and the Middle East, and Mr. Keijo Ruokoranta, Head of the Representative Office of Finland to the Palestinian Authority. The Center is a joint project between Bethlehem University and Turku Christian Institute and Diaconia Polytechnic, Finland.

Brother Vincent Malham, President – Vice Chancellor, welcomed Ms. Lehtomaki, and expressed thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the Government of Finland, for providing a state-of-the-art facility. He described the opening ceremony as "a significant day for Bethlehem University as we begin our 30th year as an institution of higher learning in Palestine and also dedicate the most modern facility on campus, the Digital Media Center." Brother Vincent also stated that "there are times when our students have not been able to reach the University because of occupying forces. You are providing us with equipment which will enable us to use technology to overcome that difficulty, at least to a certain extent."

In her opening remarks, Ms. Lehtomaki indicated that the Digital Media Center is important because it fosters democracy, and she expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation with Bethlehem University.

Brother Neil Kieffe, Director of Instructional Technology, thanked Mr. Tapio Kujala, of the Turku Christian Institute, for all his efforts in setting up the Center. Brother Neil stated the goals of the Center: to educate young Palestinians on the use and benefit of technological innovations, to work in a democratic atmosphere, to create means by which students may be able to keep up with their studies even when students are not able to come to the University, to create a web-based learning environment, and to create new connections between the educational and business sectors.

Brother Fergus McArdle, Vice President for Academic Affairs, attended, along with Brother Jack Curran, Vice President for Development, and a number of deans and chairpersons.

The Digital Media Center consists of a large studio, a control room, highly advanced computers and screens, that allow for the production and editing of films utilized in the educational process. The new facility enables teachers to train their students on technology considered up-to-date in the field of media.