By: Mr. Pay Chheng How, Director of the Center for English Studies
On January 30th, 2016, in the UC Conference Center, The University of Cambodia’s Center for Eng-lish Studies (CES) held its 14th graduation ceremony to present certificates of completion to 441 graduates, of whom 246 students are female, and to award the certificates of academic excellence to 18 outstanding students who have achieved the highest scores throughout the program.
The Center for English Studies at The University of Cambodia is one of Cambodia’s leading English language centers. CES offers various core English programs for students who wish to pursue their degrees at UC and for those who need English for their own respective purposes. Students who have successfully com-pleted the Intensive English Program for Academic Purposes (IEP) can enroll in academic programs in their preferable major in the International Track at UC.
The 14th CES graduation ceremony was chaired by H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Founder, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and President of The University of Cambodia. The participants and guests included Dr. Greg Emery, Vice President of International Affairs; Professor Din Merican, Associate Dean of the Techo Sen School of Government and International Relations; Dr. Michael Minehan, Dean of the Graduate Stud-ies Division; Mr. Pay Chheng How, Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Languages, and Director of the Center for English Studies; UC faculty; CES instructors; UC staff; and CES graduates.
After the MC detailed the program of the ceremony, Mr. Pay Chheng How was invited to provide a welcoming speech and brief report on the history of CES and its programs. On this special occasion, H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn delivered a very inspiring speech, and expressed his appreciation to the fresh CES graduates. Additionally, he shared his practical life experiences which he hoped would inspire the students to be suc-cessful in their studies and future careers. He also advised students to take care of their health. Particularly, he encouraged students to keep searching for and learning new skills, both soft and hard ones. He also stressed that setting clear goals, managing time and networking -reaching out to the outside world- are also very crucial for success. ‘We are now living a global society where people can communicate faster and easier, and there are many golden opportunities awaiting everyone who can perform better to reach the opportunity,” he added.
Miss. Sann Thida, a representative of the CES graduates, was invited to give a brief talk before clos-ing the ceremony. She expressed her deep gratitude to her parents for their love, and profound appreciation to H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Founder, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and President of the University of Cambodia, for his tireless support, generosity and leadership. She also thanked her CES instructors, UC staff, and especially the management team for their commitment, utmost care, and motivation for her and all UC students. Finally, she heartily hoped that she would enjoy her academic life at UC under the leadership of the prominent president, H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn and the management team.