Convocation 2024

The convocation was held yesterday on the national day of Iceland at Hrafnseyri where it was embedded in the national day’s festivities. With the convocation we celebrated the graduation of the students from the master’s programmes at UW, as well the graduation of distance learning students in the Westfjords. We had lovely weather and a very pleasant convocation celebration. As per usual, there was a cake buffet, soup, a music performance and the graduation ceremony. Graduates received their diploma from Eyjólfur Guðmundsson Rector of the University of Akureyri. Students also received a knitted diploma hat and a small tree that many graduates have planted at the hillside behind the church at Hrafnseyri, an area that is starting to resemble a growing forest of saplings, bigger each year.

Below you can read the speech that Peter Weiss, director of the University Centre of the Westfjords held yesterday, and you can take a look at the photos from the celebration:

"Esteemed graduates, dear guests

Young people graduating from their studies at UW. And I go back by 30 years in my thoughts, back to Kiel University where I did my master's degree, back to a woman who crossed my path then. Her name was Frau Teufel, Mrs Devil, which still does not mean more than other surnames like Smith or Miller or Fisher.

Mrs. Teufel worked in the department of the registrar's office where I registered for the exam period and graduation. I registered for two different study programmes – and there lurked the lion and Frau Teufel was the advocate of the lion: "No that's impossible. These systems do not correspond, they are not coordinated. You might be invited for two exams on the same day, at the very same hour! This has never happened!"

I took the risk, just out of financial reasons, the study loan was only until my first graduation.

For a short period, I needed to show up at Mrs Teufel's office quite often: Signatures, confirmations, for each and every course, everything on paper of course at that time. At some point, I said to her that this system is not what can be called simple.

Her answer I kept for life: First she pointed out that it had been my decision and that systems are not made for the exceptions. And then she said: "Apart from that: The university should prepare you for life. And life is much more complicated than any study programme. Then it starts for real. If you overcome this, you are also ready to overcome most of what waits out there."

And she was right.

Students who have gone through the master's programmes at UW work in many very interesting jobs and I sometimes ask myself where and when they learned what they do, where and when they became these smart and reliable persons they are.

"If you overcome this, you are also ready to overcome most of what waits out there."

UW students need to organise their lives themselves. Visa application, residence permit, working permit, tax authorities, rental agreement, changing instructors, group dynamics ... "Life is much more complicated than any study program."

UW is not a study abroad programme. It is not a campus university. It is not and does not want to be a bubble without connection to the world around. A university may not be an echo-chamber. A university wants to open the eyes and minds of people for the new and unexpected.

Universitie should ask questions and teach how to solve them.

Employers seem to reward that.

With that in mind we should perhaps not have built a student dormitory.

But of course systems should not complicate our lives, just because. The administration must of course service the people and not vice versa. Of course we demand that it works according to set rules. But there are never rules for every exception.

My exams did not clash. Sometimes I asked myself whether Frau Teufel had her hand in it. She would not have needed to do so. But administrations may facilitate, it is not forbidden to do well.

With the wisdom of hindsight Mrs. Devil was one of the angels who guarded one's way through life. Sure she was the advocate of the lurking lion, sure she was a representative of an ineffective system, but she did what she could by informing, guiding, helping.

We often ignore these angels. They do not salute us with wings and golden locks. They might be old and ugly, have dubious names. They can show up anywhere.

Now when you go out of University, then it starts for real. Let's keep our eyes open to find the hidden helpers. It can be difficult to be grateful towards the advocate of the lurking lion, but the advocate might mean well.

You will yourself work in such systems, the world is full of them. Do not say the computer says no. Try to do better. Administrations may facilitate, it is not forbidden to do well.

In the service, we heard the word of the day from the gospel of Matthew: What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? (Mt 7, 9)

I hope you have during your study time at the University Centre of the Westfjords received bread, not stones. Good provisions for the road. But I indeed also hope that you need to cope with obstacles and get help to overcome them. "As you have overcome this, you should also be ready to overcome most of what waits out there."

And I hope that you get the opportunity – and see it, take it – to help others to overcome the ugly systems, that you give bread, not stones.

Peter Weiss, University Centre of the Westfjords on the occasion of convocation.