The University of Mauritius held its Graduation Ceremonies on 22 and 23 March 2011 at the Paul Octave Wiehe Auditorium, where 741 undergraduate and 272 postgraduate students graduated from the different Faculties of the University and institutions jointly running courses with the University. On that same occasion, Mr Bernard Gruson, Chief Executive Officer, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG) and President of the Comité de Direction, was conferred the Degree of Doctor of Civil Law honoris causa in the presence of Dr The Hon Rajeshwar Jeetah, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology.
Mrs Urmila Banymandhub, Barrister at Law and Head Temple Group, and Mr Pierre Dinan, Chairman of the Prices Advisory Committee, were invited as guest speakers. Mrs Banymandhub’s speech was marked with zeal and tempered by her judicious advice as she shared with the graduates her “vision of what may be lying ahead and she ventured to impart some words of encouragement, caution and advice”, and provided them with some golden rules to follow.
Honouring Mr Gruson, Prof Jugessur, Pro-Chancellor, presented the latter as the driving force behind several collaborative projects established between Mauritius and Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, stating that: “ he has been instrumental in promoting the very close cooperation we enjoy between the Geneva Hospital and the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life in Mauritius since 2009”.
Indeed, Mr Gruson supported the creation of the ‘Association Coeur Pour Tous’ in France, which sent medical experts including now renowned Dr Kalangos to operate on children suffering from congenital heart problems and also offered the opportunity to Mauritian doctors to be trained at HUG. More recently, the University of Mauritius signed a letter of intent with HUG for jointly servicing of medical courses leading towards a full degree in medicine and surgery, in cooperation with the University of Bordeaux, resulting from which Mauritian students will be able to complete their degree locally.
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