The University on 23 October 2016 held a Dedication Ceremony of its Permanent Campus at Tapesia Gardens.
The hour long programme began with lighting of the lamp by the Chief Guest Fr. Pascual Chavez, Former Rector Major of Salesians of Don Bosco and the 9th successor of Don Bosco, Archbishop of Guwahati Most. Rev. John Moolachira, Guest of Honour Dr. Ercole Lucchini, Pronvincial of Salesians of Don Bosco, Guwahati Province and Chancellor, ADBU Rev. Fr. VM Thomas, Vice Chancellor Fr (Dr) Stephen Mavely and other dignitaries, followed by a prayer dance by the students of the School of Technology.
Welcoming the gathering of over 600 invited guests, faculty and students, the Vice Chancellor Fr. (Dr) Stephen Mavely said, “Let me begin with saying a big THANK YOU to you. I am not exaggerating when I say ‘you have doubled our joy!’.
‘Journeying in hope is what the University Community has done these past nine years. Ever since a tryst with destiny brought us to this land, the road to Tapesia, it began on 24th August 2007. Since then, it has been a vision, a tantalising vision that kept eluding us over nine long years. During these years, we’ve had our hopes raised time and again only to be dashed to the ground every time, any number of times. But, today they remains the tales of yesterday. Today we do not look back at the University, at the pain, the anxiety, and the heart breaking disappointments that dogged our path to Tapesia. Today, as our theme for the year says, ‘our eyes are glued on the present moment’. Today, we see only immense possibilities, opportunities waiting to be recognized, grasped and appropriated – carpe diem as our motto says. Today we look forward to the days ahead, holding promise of developing this land into the ideal setting for an exceptionally attractive campus that will provide the best of ambience and opportunities for our students and faculty”
The Provincial of Salesians of Guwahati Province, Rev. Fr. VM Thomas said, “We are witnesses to this historical event. 23 October 2016 will not be forgotten in the annals of Don Bosco University, and the entire Don Bosco Society all over India and across the world. When history of education in North East India will be written in the future, this date will figure prominently as the date on which Don Bosco Society took the first small, but momentous step of breaking the ground in its journey of actualizing the educational dream of thousand of young boys and girls in this part of the great country India”.
“My greatest desire was the University project to succeed. It was on 10 November 2009 I had the privilege of laying the foundation of this campus, and now we have the great satisfaction of dedicating this marvelous campus to this great nation and to the world since students from 130 countries followed your online courses,” said Fr. Pascual Chavez, Chief Guest at the event. Expressing his hope that the presence of Don Bosco University in North East India will “facilitate the building of the skill development of young people who will come to the centre of learning and research”
Encouraging the gathering and the University to stand firm and strive forward, he said, “We live in a time..where potential extinction of humanity is a possibility, a time when few and fewer people can harm more and more people, a time when science and technology may not hold all the answers but remain indispensable to any solution…if what we experience now is a movie, it might have been okay, but this is a fact, not fiction. We have to turn to the problems and face them. This is your life, you are the great pioneers of Don Bosco University. This is your moment, and it is all down to you! Carpe Diem!”
Following his speech Fr. Chavez unveiled the plague of dedication that reads, “This stone commemorates the dedication of the Tapesia Campus of the University to the people of Northeast India by Fr Pascual Chavez Villanueva on 23 October 2016”.
In this short programme, the faculty and staff of School of Technology presented the University Anthem and Gary Barlow’s ‘Sing’ was presented by the combined choir of Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Life Sciences. And much to the delight of the gathering, the School of Commerce and Management presented a cultural fusion dance.
