To the Graduates of the Master of Science in International Finance
by Course Director Professor Dr. Dr. Dietmar Ernst
Dear Valued IFM Students,
It is a great pleasure and honor for me to greet you from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Today is a remarkable day in your academic life. The “Gaudeamus Igitur” is a new form of a preliminary graduation, with which we want to express our admiration and deepest gratefulness for your engagement and commitment to our master program “International Finance”. As you all know, the current course with over 50 students represents a true challenge for all of us; students, professors, and program management. As course director, I feel very proud about the passion and patience you showed during your studies in Nuertingen. It is fascinating for all of us to observe how a group of high-achieving students from all over the world comes to Nuertingen and creates, despite of or maybe due to their multicultural background, a unique spirit of solidarity, tolerance and top performance. This year we celebrate our tenth anniversary and I can only underline that our students are at the focus of everything we do. Since we started off with four students in 2003, we have worked consistently to prove our claim as outstanding program for outstanding students. This year more than 350 students applied for our master program IFM. We admitted 60 students with an average bachelor grade of 1.7. This result fills us with pride, but also reminds us of our obligation to further improve our quality in teaching.
Now is the time to celebrate the completion of a successful study in Nuertingen. The final exams and studies abroad still lie ahead, but those of you who have managed to get this far, have a good chance of succeeding in the second step as well. Before you start with your well-deserved “Gaudeamus Igitur”, I would like to cordially thank Prof. Bloss for the great idea to bring the “Gaudeamus Igitur” into existence. Furthermore, I would like to extend my personal gratitude to Prof. Schittenhelm and Ms. Suchy for their fabulous commitment to this course.
I would like to finish my address with the words of Nelson Mandela, for whom people in South Africa and all over the world pray:
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not longer, for my long walk is not ended.”
― Nelson Mandela
Enjoy the Gaudeamus Igitur 2013