6/19/2006

Suffolk University Dakar, in Senegal, held its commencement ceremony for the 2005-2006 academic year on Monday June 19, 2006, presenting certificates of completion to 20 sophomores and celebrating the SIFE Suffolk’s Team winning of the SIFE National Competition last Friday.

Ambassador Janice L. Jacobs, US Embassy Dakar, delivered the commencement address, while for the first time, three students filled the role of student speakers representing the sophomore class: Mame Khary Dione of Senegal, Mariame Kouyate of Guinea, and Eric S Compaore of Burkina Faso.

The ceremony took place in the inner courtyard garden of the Suffolk Dakar campus, and was well attended by many family members and friends of the graduates, as well as many Senegalese dignitaries and ambassadors of many African countries.

“Academically, it has been a challenging year for the students, who are still getting acclimated to the full semester load as opposed to the intensive style courses of previous years,” said Dunham Rowley, Suffolk’s new Executive Director who took the helm in January of this year. 

The Suffolk University-Boston contingent joining Rowley in Senegal on the special occasion included Suffolk Dakar’s previous director Dr. Lewis Shaw, Program Coordinator for Suffolk Dakar and Suffolk Madrid .

Suffolk University Dakar, which just completed its seventh year of existence, provides an opportunity for Senegalese and other African students to pursue the first two years of an American undergraduate business education in their home region.  In addition to courses leading to a BSBA, BS, or BA degree, there is an emphasis on intensive English-language training. 

Students successfully completing the first 54 credits of the degree program receive a certificate, and credits may be transferred to Suffolk University in Boston or to other accredited institutions of higher education in the United States. 

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