San Diego State University Georgia Hosts 2018 Convocation Ceremony
The San Diego State University of Georgia warmly welcomed freshmen through the 2018 Convocation Ceremony.
As it is widely known, a positive and energetic start is quite important for achieving success, especially when it comes to the new academic year. Motivating students for the new challenges is not an easy task, but it was well-achieved at the San Diego State University Georgia’s Convocation Ceremony, a special event that signifies the beginning of a university career and brings new students and their families together with faculty and staff.
On September 19, San Diego State University (SDSU) Georgia hosted its official Convocation Ceremony to mark the start of the new academic year and accept new students into its programs. The joyful and simultaneously quite important event was attended by the 9th permanent President of SDSU, Dr. Adela de la Torre, Vice Prime-Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Maya Tskitishvili, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, Mikheil Batiashvili, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Elizabeth Rood, Millennium Challenge Corporation Chief Operating Officer, Jonathan Nash, and Millennium Challenge Account Georgia Chief Executive Officer, Magda Magradze. President de la Torre and a delegation of SDSU Deans from the Colleges of Science and Engineering were special guests of the event.
At the beginning of the event, the national anthems of Georgia and the United States were performed.
The Convocation Ceremony was hosted by Halil Güven, Dean of SDSU Georgia. The honorable guests and attendees of the ceremony addressed freshmen, congratulating them on the beginning of the new academic year, wishing them a successful university career and bright future and stressed the importance of SDSU’s collaboration with Georgia.
“We have a record number of students engaged in our programs this year. Besides admitting such a large quantity of students, we enrolled 14 students with perfect scores in General Aptitude, Math, Chemistry, and English into our programs. I am thrilled that students’ interest towards STEM and SDSU is constantly increasing, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This is very promising for the future of Georgia. We wish success to all our new and old students in this academic year!” Güven noted.
Dr. de la Torre led the official ceremony of accepting new students to the University’s programs.
Successful students of SDSU addressed the audience and welcomed the freshmen. One of the Georgian students, Tekle Patsuria, advised the new students to use all the opportunities, study well and achieve the best results.
One of the most exciting parts of the event was the Oath Taking Ceremony, when all the students jointly recognized SDSU’s successful past and experience as the key to their promising future and expressed gratitude for the contribution of their families and friends who have assisted them to become new members of the SDSU community.
At the end of the event, the anthem of the university, SDSU Alma Mater, was performed.
SDSU has been in Georgia for four years, and compared to the previous years, the number of the students has significantly increased. In 2018, SDSU accepted 230 students into its internationally accredited American degree programs in Georgia. The 4th cohort, like the previous one, is diverse: students from Tbilisi and all regions of Georgia are represented. 38% of the new cohort is female. SDSU Georgia continues attracting the top scorers from the National Exams (NAEC).
According to Dr. de la Torre, one of the main reasons Georgian students become more and more interested in studying at SDSU is that they realize that the opportunities the university offers are important for a promising career and for the country’s future.
When asked about her impressions and expectations about Georgian students, Dr. de la Torre noted that she is looking forward to collaborating and assisting them on their way to success.
“I would tell Georgian students that it is important to understand that no matter what your background is or which region you are from, you have many opportunities to access the SDSU programs, to become a creator of the future. You need to focus on your aims and goals, because it can transform our lives not only in Georgia but throughout the world, through the types of skills you will get. I am looking forward to working with you.” She also stressed the importance of the fact that almost 40%of the new students are young women.
“Having both women and men who are educated in STEM will create a team science that we need to address global problems,” she elaborated.
SDSU, through funding from the US Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation, offers internationally accredited Bachelor of Science programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in Georgia. As the MCC Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Nash noted, MCC is proud of the progress achieved through the incredible partnership with SDSU in Georgia, the government and partner universities and they are excited to see what comes next.
“I am thrilled to assist in welcoming a new cohort of students of SDSU Georgia. SDSU is the only American university in Georgia offering the STEM Program. MCC is proud to be a part of this partnership. Today it is the 4th cohort, the largest one, with 230 students. We are honored to continue to grow in future. STEM education is a way to the future and it will offer a lot of chances for students to take advantage of the new and emerging economic opportunities here in Georgia. I congratulate Georgia, I congratulate San Diego State University, and I am excited to be here today,” Nash told reporters.
The history of SDSU began in the late 19th century. It is one of the biggest and most popular universities in California, USA.
SDSU Georgia graduates will receive an American degree. These programs will support the development of construction, science, and technology fields along with Georgia’s human capital capacity for economic growth.
By Ana Dumbadze