June 19 , 2009

Bethlehem University Celebrates
33rd Graduation Ceremony

On Friday, 19 June 2009, Brother Peter Bray, FSC, Vice Chancellor, and Mr. Fuad Kattan, Chair of the Board of Trustees, presided at the 33rd graduation ceremony of Bethlehem University, the first university founded in Palestine.

H.E. Mrs. Lamis Al-Alami, Minister of Education and Higher Education, delivered the keynote address to the largest-ever graduating class of 572 students.

Invited honored guests from Palestinian Ministries, sister universities, consulates, country representative offices, and international Friends of Bethlehem University in Ireland as well as religious leaders and the Mayors of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour were in attendance.

Ms. Rawan Michael Saliba Liddawi, a Beit Jala resident and a 2005 graduate from the Good Shepherds Swedish School, will graduate with highest honors in biology.  Rawan, who aspires to a master's degree in a medical technology field, will deliver the Valedictory Address on behalf of her fellow graduates.

She and her fellow graduates join the ranks of the now 11,388 Bethlehem University alumni, including more than 400 graduates from Gaza. The University alumni family  serves the needs of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, through work in schools, government, hospitals, clinics, United Nations agencies, local and international NGOs, business offices, hotels and development organizations, as well as at Bethlehem University and other Palestinian universities. 

“We are heartened by the recent declaration of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI of the achievements of Bethlehem University in playing a major role in inter-religious dialogue” said Brother Peter Bray, Bethlehem University Vice Chancellor. “As we mark the closing of the 35th academic year of Bethlehem University, we are grateful for the high quality of our students, the dedicated professionalism of our faculty and staff, and the commitment of our local and international friends and benefactors. With God’s continued blessing this University will continue to serve the young people of this land, giving them hope for a new dawn of promise and peace.”  

View more 2009 graduation photos here:
http://www.bethlehem.edu/archives/2009/2009_039.shtml

Read about two graduates' individual journeys here:
http://www.bethlehem.edu/archives/2009/2009_036.shtml