The ceremony was not only attended by ITC´s staff and students, but also by UT´s Executive Board, professors, embassy representatives and other external guests. Many new international students, who have arrived from 32 different countries from all over the world, were dressed in traditional clothes of their homeland.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the audience and the new students were welcomed by Professor Tom Veldkamp, the Dean of ITC faculty, and the representative of the Student Association Board. Later, the Dean presented the ITC Research Award for the best scientific paper written by a PhD student. This year the award was given to Vincent Omondi Odongo.
Lecture by an ITC alumna
After a pleasant musical interlude, performed by organist Gijs van Schoonhoven and soprano Evelyn Ziegler, ITC alumna Jane Bemigisha presented her lecture. Bemigisha, who is currently a CEO of ESIPSS (Environmental Surveys, Information, Planning and Policy Systems) in Uganda, talked about establishing a private business in geo-information science.
Speech by the Minister Ploumen
To end the celebratory event, Minister Lilianne Ploumen took the stage to officially open the Academic programme of the University of Twente's ITC faculty. In her speech, Ploumen stressed the importance of ITC´s accomplishments in geo-information science and earth observation.
The Minister paid attention to the importance of land policy and she praised ITC for their research on land administration. She pointed out that smart solutions created at ITC make land registration faster and cheaper. 'Better land management can lead to better land rights, which can empower people, especially women,' explained Ploumen.
Desire to make a difference
Ploumen also mentioned that ITC not only brings innovative solutions, but it mainly provides knowledge and education to individuals, who can lead developing countries on their way to a brighter future. At the end of her speech, the Minister gave a special welcome to the new students, who have decided to come to UT, because they are driven by the desire to make a difference. 'vYou have certainly come to the right place. Everybody here shares a commitment to create a better world,' said Ploumen. 'This extraordinary institute - and the 20 000 experts it has educated - has changed the world in the last twenty years.'
