08 May 2009

The 20th IPC Commencement Ceremony 5th May 2009

By Shirley Ghozalli. Edited by Moira Blake.

Three IPC students who studied at IPU in 2008 welcoming His Excellency Ambassador Toshihiro Takahashi (From left: Tim Bunting, Emma Harris, IPC President Wayne Edwards, His Excellency Ambassador Toshihiro Takahashi, and Yeon Ji Oh)

On Tuesday, 5th May 2009, the 20th IPC Commencement Ceremony took place at the Regent Theatre on Broadway, Palmerston North. It opened with a performance by the IPC Taiko Drum Team and then the procession of the official party onto the stage. This was immediately followed by the proclamation of welcome by the Town Crier, Caroline Robinson, impressive both for her colourful traditional dress and her strong voice. Acting as the Masters of Ceremony were IPC students, Mina Ueyama and Simeon Phillips who are in their final year of the Degree programme.

The new students were honoured to have dignitaries and representatives from various embassies and governments attending the ceremony: from the Embassy of Japan, His Excellency Ambassador Toshihiro Takahashi; from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr Tri Purnajaya, First Secretary and Head of Information and Cultural Affairs; and from the Embassy of France, Mr Jean-Georges Mandon, Cultural and Scientific Counsellor.

In his opening speech, the new IPC President, Wayne Edwards, extended a welcome to the new students, guests and staff members. He also spoke about his dreams for IPC, some of which were to encourage more strongly the using of English, to review and further improve the quality of the education, and to stretch the students' ability beyond what they thought they could do. "An exciting new world is waiting for you. Grasp the opportunity to experience it fully," was the special piece of advice for the new students with which Wayne finished his speech.

In his keynote speech, His Excellency, Ambassador Toshihiro Takahashi began by congratulating the new students as well as their parents and families. "This (studying at IPC) is without doubt a special opportunity to study with students from other countries and to understand about the Asia-Pacific region which is developing rapidly." To conclude his speech, the Ambassador read a clipping of a newspaper advertisement from the 1970's that was still a puzzle to him. He dared anyone to explain what the connection was between the ad and the product the company wanted to sell. The winner would be invited to dinner at his place. This challenge, with its unusual humorous tone, sparked the interest of the audience. He also added that "When you lose energy or are feeling down, please remember this ad." The lines in the ad were like a riddle and the signature was that of Ronald McDonald, the clown character of McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain.

Mayor Jono Naylor giving a welcome scroll to a new student from South Korea

Next, the Mayor of Palmerston North, Mayor Jono Naylor, gave a concise speech that expressed the city's welcome to the new students and the hope that they enjoy the city so much that they will either decide to stay or they will take something of the city back with them when they return home.

During this ceremony 146 new students were welcomed. They came from New Zealand and 16 other countries: Brazil, China, Colombia, Fiji, French Polynesia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The students were called one by one to come up on the stage and receive a welcome scroll from Mayor Jono Naylor.

Included among the new students this year, were 2 exchange students from the International Pacific University (IPU), Ayaka Fujita and Ayuko Otsuka. They are studying at IPC for a long-term exchange programme from April until August this year. As part of the same programme, 3 IPC students went to study at IPU in 2007 and another 3 students in 2008.

Following the roll call of new students, a graceful musical interlude was provided by IPC student, Naofumi Sakata. He played a calm and beautiful melody, "Summer Shadow," on the piano.

This year, the Parent's Address was given by Mr Shingo Matsumoto, the parent of one of the new students from Japan. His delivery was very unusual, as he spoke in English, not in his native language. He encouraged the new students to "recognize your own responsibility as an adult," as well as to "talk, watch, play, and try anything you are interested in, and not only enjoy your campus life but also cherish the community." For his closing remarks, he directed 2 questions at the students: "Are you enjoying your life? Are you motivated?" and "Yes!" answers could be heard from the students' rows. "That's good," he concluded.

Representing the new students, Emiko Okumura, then gave a speech about the life she had experienced in the three weeks since she arrived from Japan. Speaking in English and then Japanese, she described how everyone, students and staff, were kind and friendly despite the differences in race and age. She also thanked the parents and hoped all new students would be people their parents could be proud of.

In his closing speech, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Acting Chief Executive Officer of IPC, Mr Hiroshi Ohashi, reflected on the time when he decided to establish IPC in Palmerston North. He expressed his desire to be able to work with the new IPC President, Wayne Edwards, to develop IPC further as, in its 20th year of existence, the College enters a new era.

After the ceremony, a formal Commencement Dinner was held in the Recreation Centre, IPC Campus, where the new students, parents, special guests and staff enjoyed a delicious meal and students put on performances for the guests. These performances presented aspects of the culture of a number of different countries: Taiko Drumming from Japan; dances from French Polynesia (Tahiti), Vietnam, and Thailand; a fashion parade showing the costumes of different areas of Indonesia, and a dance, also from Indonesia. Worth noting is the fact that the performers included students who were not from the country whose culture they were presenting - for example, Kiwis (and a Thai staff member) in the Taiko Drum team, Japanese girls in the Tahitian and Vietnamese dance teams. The final performance, bringing the evening to a close, was a haka competition by New Zealanders.

More photos can be viewed at: Commencement Ceremony 2009 Photo Album. NEW

The opening performance by the IPC Taiko Drum Team	Rows of new students	Masters of Ceremony, Mina Ueyama and Simeon Phillips
Mr Shingo Matsumoto delivering the Parent's Address	Another impressive Taiko performance by the IPC Taiko Drum Team at the Commencement Dinner	A fashion show by Indonesian students, featuring traditional clothes from around Indonesia

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