Madagascar's President Invests in U.S. University Education for 24 Students as 'Future Leaders' of His Nation
All 24 Graduate May 10 from ACU, with President On Hand to
Congratulate Them
ABILENE, Texas--(Business Wire)--
Four years ago, the forward-thinking president of a small island
nation decided to invest in what he calls "Madagascar's greatest
resource - its people."
That investment paid off Saturday when all 24 students sent to
Abilene Christian University graduated with high expectations that
they will become "future leaders" in their home nation.
Madagascar's President Marc Ravalomanana is a successful business
owner and Christian leader who said that sending his students to ACU
was "the best investment in the world" toward his goal of lifting his
nation of 17 million people out of poverty.
Ravalomanana addressed the Malagasy students during ACU's
Commencement: "I am proud of you. Your country, your families and your
professors are proud of you...I hope you understand what a treasure
you will have when you receive your diploma from ACU. Having a degree
from an American university is highly valued around the world, but to
graduate from an excellent university where God is honored is
priceless."
ACU, a prestigious private university in Texas that attracts 4,700
students from 60 nations, became home for these 12 women and 12 men
from Madagascar while they majored in areas they felt would be
transformational for their home economy and culture, including
business, technology, education and the sciences.
"To the faculty and staff of ACU, please accept my deepest
gratitude for your dedication to academic excellence and your
commitment to the values of Jesus Christ," Ravalomanana said. "In
fact, you have exceeded my expectations. You have helped develop the
minds of your students, and you have helped to shape their faith and
lives, as well."
During the May 10 Commencement, ACU awarded Ravalomanana an
honorary doctor of laws degree, particularly for the improvement of
education in his nation.
Ravalomanana became mayor of Antananariva, the capital of
Madagascar, in 1999 and was elected president of the Republic of
Madagascar in December 2001. Using skills he honed while growing a
successful business, he has developed a reputation as a model leader
in the African and Indian Ocean region.
In 2004, Ravalomanana introduced a unique business plan for the
development of the country, called the Madagascar Action Plan (MAP).
This program includes an aggressive five-year plan for achieving and
measuring progress on goals relating to education, poverty and the
country's infrastructure.
During his ACU visit, Ravalomanana said, "We need leaders who are
willing to serve others before themselves. We need men and women of
integrity who will do what is right. We need people who take
initiative, who are willing to tackle difficult issues and discover
solutions. In fact, what we need in Madagascar is the same as what you
need in America and what every nation needs. We need Christian
servant-leaders, and we need them now."
One of the eight commitments included in MAP is to transform the
educational systems in Madagascar. The plan calls for creating "an
education system with world-class standards in quality and in
effectiveness, which stimulates creativity and helps our students to
actually transform their dreams into reality, and which provides
Madagascar with the necessary human resources to become a competitive
nation and a successful player in the world economy."
The president has made great strides in the development of his
country. His bold vision has caught the attention of the United
Nations, the World Bank and developed countries around the world. In
2005, Madagascar was the first nation in the world to sign a contract
for participation in the Millennium Challenge Account from the United
States. Madagascar also received notice from World Bank of a
significant grant to help transform education in the country.
Ravalomanana's deep commitment to develop the people of Madagascar
led him to establish the Madagascar Presidential Scholars Program at
ACU in 2004. The program was formalized when ACU's Dr. John Tyson,
vice president for development, met with Ravalomanana while on a
business council trade mission in Madagascar.
Scholarship recipients were selected from 17 regions of the
country, and all six provinces were represented. The students began at
ACU in 2004, and the government of Madagascar paid their tuition for
four years. To earn the prestigious scholarship, students not only had
to be selected by the president's application process, but also had to
meet the university's academic and language qualifications. More than
1,000 students applied.
Now that they have graduated from ACU, some plan to continue their
education in graduate schools both in the United States and abroad.
Others are returning to Madagascar to begin applying their education
immediately, said Tyson.
Joelly Rasamoelina graduated with a degree in sociology, and she
plans to attend graduate school and become a development consultant in
her home nation.
"At ACU I have witnessed students changing the world," Rasamoelina
said. "I know the power that students hold in their hands, and I am
hoping to raise awareness among college students in Madagascar, hoping
to let them know they can develop the country, they can change the
world."
The students have studied various majors, experienced American
culture, worked at part-time jobs on campus and participated in
service work and internships. Physics major Aldo Raeliarijaona, along
with other ACU students, completed an internship at Fermi National
Accelerator Laboratory in Chicago. Rasamoelina spent a summer in
Montana as a sociology intern on the Crow Indian Reservation.
When they return home, the students' experience will come full
circle from their send-off ceremony four years ago, as they
participate in a Malagasy re-creation of the Commencement, allowing
their families to join in the celebration.
"Words can't say how happy our families are," said environmental
science graduate Hasina Randrianjafy. "They have been waiting for this
moment forever."
Abilene Christian University
Lynne Bruton, Director of Public Relations, 325-674-2692
lynne.bruton@acu.edu
Copyright Business Wire 2008
