Yesterday, after many years, a group of former Divine Word University students sat down together for a small lunch at JP Hall, reconnecting with old friends and becoming part of the wider DWU community once again.
For many of us, the DWU we returned to was very different from the university we knew as students.
We came from an era of no air-conditioned classrooms, no internet, no PowerPoint projectors, no mobile phones and no social media. Fr. Jan Czuba was about five years into his presidency, and one phrase that seemed to capture his approach to the university was: “There is no standing still at DWU.”
As students, we experienced that passion for innovation and growth. While buildings such as the SVDMA and Friendship Library were taking shape, journalism students were out around Madang town talking to town managers, the PPC, supermarket owners, hotel chefs and others to find news stories.
We had weekly quotas of news stories to complete for our news writing and news production units. Classes began at 8am and often continued until 3.30pm, with seven to nine units in a semester.
We were fortunate to learn from lecturers including David Scoullar, Alastair and Johanna Whitson, Br. Michael McManus, Joe Webber, John Retallick, Patrick Matbob, Sr Eva Kusikova, Kevin Pamba, Adrian Kennedy and Alphonse Aime.
We were part of an era when DWU was transitioning from an institute into a more formal university. After graduation, we each followed our own paths, but the friendships formed during those years have endured.
Perhaps that is one of the special things about the DWU experience: it created bonds that continued long after graduation.
DWU has changed considerably since our student days, but the connection between the university and its alumni remains strong.
Yesterday's gathering was also an important step forward. Alumni met at the Arnold Jensen Hall to begin the process of formalising a national DWU alumni body, with the aim of creating a stronger network that can contribute to the university and support the implementation of its strategic objectives.
From students walking the streets of Madang looking for news stories to alumni returning to discuss how we can give back to the university, the journey has come a long way.
We may have left DWU many years ago, but clearly, DWU never really left us.
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