The year 2018 is an important one for Notre Dame University Bangladesh. We will have our first two batches graduating, completing their 4 year course. Some of our MBA students have already graduated. This brings great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment to us. We believe our graduates will remember their time here favorably and will be frequent visitors and faithful alumni/alumnae. They have been prepared to meet the world. This year also we will begin what we are calling “Fullness of Life Seminars”. These will be held for 112 days at a Center outside of Dhaka and be open to students and some faculty. There will be two such seminars each trimester. The topics which will be considered are of crucial importance today; Basic Human Rights Human Relations Conflict Resolution Ethics Dealing with Diversity Common Good University students of today live in a highly complex environment. They are subjected via internet and social media to many conflicting worldviews, opinions and motivations. A whole world of ideas are open to them, much of it attractively and persuasively presented and they are often captivated by it. It can be confusing. Values learned from family and religion and culture can be and are easily overwhelmed. They need to be provided with the knowledge and experience that will help them to critically evaluate what they see and hear and to make right and informed and mature judgments about it — to embrace what is true and reject what is false. They need to be well-formed and informed and grounded so that they cannot be easily misled. To form students this way is at the heart of what Notre Dame University Bangladesh is all about. We want them to be informed. We want them to be able to question. We want to provide a context in which they can rightly discern all the input they receive. This is a very positive step. It is doing something rather than reacting. We have entered into 2018 with a lot of hope. As a new university we may still be only toddlers, but we are standing on our own feet and walking. The spirit of the University is good, education and learning are taking place, co-curricular activities are engaging, and research is going on. This year, 2018, will be a year of further growth. Continue reading…