The Vice Chancellor's remarks, as quoted in parts from his 14th Graduation speech

On behalf of the Management of Ndejje University, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I thank all of you for honouring our invitation to attend this 14th Graduation Ceremony. Today is a day of ceremony and celebration. Along with graduands, we on the Faculty, members of Top Management and the Chancellor, don academic regalia following a tradition that dates from medieval times to signify the entry of these graduands into the community of scholars. Although the appearance of caps and gowns impacts a seriousness and a solemnity to the occasion, every graduation is in essence an optimistic statement that the future will be better than today....

Most of us know that being a university student, whether graduate, undergraduate or professional is not always easy. There are countless trials to negotiate, along with triumphs to celebrate, and they vary from student to student. This graduation is one of your visible hard won battles!! All of you are now our valiant soldiers. As you leave this university happy, remember that I am equally happy because you are living me in a university of hope, values and morals by virtue of its strong Christian founding principles.....

I would like to thank all the students and staff of Ndejje University past and present for the wonderful gift of excellent services they have offered on my behalf. They have been working behind the scenes unrecognized and I have been receiving the praises. I have never put ten cents of my salary on the structures you see here, I have never taught a single class in this University or run a single lap in a sports tournament but when Ndejje comes up with a trophy I am praised. Please thank you for allowing me to enjoy the fruits of your sweat....

The existence of Ndejje University is a story of perseverance, sacrifice and determination whereby a private university standards firm against all odds and succeeds to where it is today. Its beginning was punctuated by extreme challenges. In this respect, it is very pertinent for me to pay tribute to the founding individuals of this institution.

Ndejje University is 20 years this month having been started by Prof. Kironde Kigozi a very visionary intellectual. Bishop Bugimbi and Mr. Rabbi Mulondo provided wise counsel. Professor Livingstone Walusimbi, Prof. Hannington Nsubuga and Prof. Ddumba Sentamu, currently Vice Chancellor of Makerere University provided strong and thoughtful leadership as Vice Chancellors. My predecessor, the Rt. Rev. Prof. Michael Senyimba fortified the infrastructure, the image and laid the foundation for accreditation and academic excellence of this institution. It is difficult to forget the civic and political leaders who have been willing to help whenever called upon. To all these individuals, on behalf of all the people of this country, join me to thank each one of them and express a sense of indebtedness, and praise be to the Lord!

On this joyous day, let me turn to the graduands. We have given you some education and training and you are entering the world. The world is more malleable than you think and it is waiting for you to hammer it into shape. Your degree is a blunt instrument. So go forth and build something with it. In addition, a graduate of Ndejje University must exhibit other attributes. The most outstanding of these is self-mastery. Self-mastery alone can lead to mastery of outside world. ‘Education is the basis of freedom’, proclaimed by Simon Boliver. Through education you have attained personal sovereignty, the ability to decide for oneself among options available. Personal sovereignty is the name given to this selfhood, as Javier Zubiri called it, the only sovereignty that counts when all is said and done......

... allow me to emphasize to the graduands that making a living and making a difference in the world are mutually exclusive undertakings, Ndejje University has given you the experiences and skills that will allow you to do both....

Fear of God brings knowledge & wisdom