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Season's Greetings from the President
This
is a special time of year for many faiths and for many reasons. Many special
events, religious and secular fall into the period of mid-November to
the end of December.
For example, members of the Muslim faith celebrate Ramadan from Nov. 16
to Dec. 16. Those who follow the Baha’i religion mark the death of
their founder Abdul-Baha and celebrate his ascension on Nov. 28. The birthday
of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanuk, is celebrated on Nov. 30. Christians
celebrate Advent and then Christmas on Dec. 25. The eve of Hanukkah, a
special time for those in the Jewish faith, is celebrated on Dec. 9. In
the eastern world, Tohji-taisai is celebrated by the Shinto religion on
Dec. 21.
In the secular domain, the United Nations marks International AIDS Day
and the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on Dec. 1 and Dec.
2, respectively. Here in Canada the National Day of Remembrance and Action
on Violence Against Women occurs on Dec. 6. In addition, we are approaching
the end of another calendar year.
All these special days pause us to think about our daily lives, our work
and our families. If there is one unifying factor among these days, it
is the desire for people to commune and to celebrate the universal ideals
of peace, respect, love and hope. During the Christmas season, a traditional
wish is the offering of peace. This year, more than ever, there is a yearning
for peace in the world: peace amongst individual people, peace amongst
communities and peace amongst nations.
We at Memorial University, contribute to the creation of a more peaceful
world through education, research and other scholarly, creative or professional
work. Some of our work, such as history and political science, is focused
directly on peace whereas other work, such as the sciences, arts and professional
disciplines, helps to create the conditions for peace. Our University
is also a place to foster friendships and to bridge the divides between
nations, cultures and faiths.
I wish to thank you for your dedication to Memorial University over this
past year and to helping create a better world.
I wish you and your families an enjoyable and restful holiday season and
all the best for the coming year. Happy holidays and New Year! I would
also like to wish friends of Memorial, donors, alumni and other supporters
in the community a happy holiday season.
Axel Meisen
PRESIDENT AND VICE-CHANCELLOR