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Celebration to reunite USC’s first graduates
A decade after becoming the University of the Sunshine Coast’s first graduates, members of the Class of 1999 will meet again this weekend to reminisce and to celebrate their achievements.
The University’s Alumni Relations will host a reunion dinner and dance at the USC campus at Sippy Downs on Saturday evening (17 October), followed by a campus tour and lunch on Sunday (18 October).
The growth of the campus should prove a major talking point, as the University had only two buildings and a choice of only two degrees – a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Business – when the students first arrived in 1996.
It now has more than a dozen buildings, including state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities, and more than 120 undergraduate and postgraduate study programs.
Among those attending Saturday’s reunion are Sunshine Coast Regional Councillor Chris Thompson, Communications Manager for Abigroup Scott Forsdike, USC Communications Manager Rebecca Biddulph and Madills Holden IT Facilities Manager Adam Madill.
Some of the original graduates have since returned to USC for postgraduate studies, including Helen Wain of Glasshouse Mountains, who started her Master of Communication last year after working as a teacher for most of the past decade.
University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Thomas AM said the 131 graduates in the Class of 1999 played a critical part in the history of the University.
“These students were true pioneers taking a risk in coming to a new university that did not have the resources or reputation of older, more established institutions,” he said.
“Their commitment and belief in the University provided the building blocks for future students to benefit. Indeed, it is not only the future students that have benefited, but the Sunshine Coast as a whole.”
— Terry Walsh