Exchange to Change Sept 2016 | Page 14

at iob In the meantime... The best Belgian Red Devils football team supporters ever … IOB @ European Development Days On 15 and 16 June 2016, several IOB students and staff attended the European Development Days in Brussels. The European Development Days, organised by the European Commission, are meant to “bring the development community together each year to share ideas and experiences in ways that inspire new partnerships and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges”. A good opportunity for IOB students to get inspired, ask critical questions and … network! Graduation ceremony class 2015-16 Watch the graduation ceremony online http://msevp.uantwerpen.be/Mediasite/Play /567c001e8f1e42cfbf8e6146cb06fd5d1d 14 Exchange to change September 2016 On the 12th of September 2016, IOB’s official graduation ceremony was organized. After a welcome word, Mr. Rik Röttger, deputy for the Province of Antwerp awarded the Prizes for Development Cooperation of the Province of Antwerp to 3 IOB students, praising them for their excellent research within development studies. In his interesting Keynote address, Prof. Jan Pronk from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands, tackled the issue of “Sustainable Development: Challenge or chimera?”. Afterwards the IOB Chair, Prof. De Herdt officially announced the results of the graduating students of class 2015-16. A heartwarming speech by the president of the student committee, Denis Penu and a beautiful musical performance by three Vietnamese students turned the event into a unforgettable moment for students and staff. Last but not least, the academic year 2016-2017 academic year was officially opened by prof. Herman Van Goethem, rector of the University of Antwerp. Another interesting IOB year lies ahead …