Final defense

The day had finally come. We were all set ready to go and well prepared. The student, Cecianne, had completed her dissertation research, the work had been evaluated at Vilnius University and Hanze UAS, the examination board had a list of critical questions ready for the candidate.

So far nothing out of the ordinary for a final dissertation defence. But a few things made this defence very special for me. First of all, Ceci would become the very first graduate for the Hanze University. So if she was successful, cake all around. But secondly, the defence took place by Skype, with the candidate presenting from Brasil (at 7AM! – poor girl), there were two full-fledged examination committees, one in Lithuania and one in The Netherlands.  The main examiner was Ghanian. To top things off, there were 2 journalists present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was planning on staying just 10 minutes to see how things went, but the excitement of the moment made me stay they entire time and by the end of the successful exam – good job Ceci! – I was so full of adrenaline it took me a while to descend back to earth.

What a great moment. The student has written her dissertation on the use of social media in developing countries:

Communication for Sustainable Development and New Media. A Practical Analysis over New Media’s Potential in Communicating Sustainability

She had interviewed communication practitioners all around the world. She had formulated conclusions and suggestions for further work on the subject. All of us taking part in her defence were  excited about her ideas and how she developed them.  

When a student like Cecianne comes through with her final defence and receives unanimous international credit and admiration  for her work, I am proud of her achievement. And deeply satisfied that our consortium make this work!

And this is why we do what we do.

Iekje Smit
Consortium Chair