This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Administrator J. Brian Atwood
University of Mobile Commencement Exercises
Managua, Nicaragua, May 10, 1997
U.S. Agency for International Development
President Aleman, Ambassador Gutierrez, President
Magnoli, Congressman Callahan, friends and family of this
University of Mobile graduating class of 1997 and honored guests
it is a pleasure to be here. I cannot tell you how happy I am to
be back in Nicaragua.
It is a great honor to be here celebrating the graduation of
the first class of the University of Mobile Latin American
Campus. As a long-time observer of Nicaragua, I have grown to
admire the spirit and the passion of the Nicaraguan people -- their
desire to live in a country that is free from war, free from
dictatorship from either the left or from the right -- and their
desire to live in a country where economic and political
opportunity is available, not to the privileged few, but to the
many.
This ceremony marks an important milestone for Nicaragua
at a time when the maturing democratic process has allowed for
the possibility of a brighter future. This University represents an
important linkage between the academic community in the United
States and Nicaragua, and makes it possible for Nicaraguan
students to obtain a quality education, modeled along the lines of
those offered in the United States, without having to leave
Nicaragua.
Many people and organizations contributed to this success:
the University of Mobile professors who originated the idea of a
Latin American campus, Dr. Magnoli who championed the idea,
the Mayor and people of San Marcos who worked so hard to
make the idea reality, and the university regents who took the
risk in coming to Nicaragua. I understand this graduating class
of 65 people consists of a combination of Nicaraguan, North
American, and Central American students with a wide variety of
majors. Of this graduating class, 43 students were assisted by the
first phase of the USAID-sponsored Sustainable Development
Scholarship Program, whose second phase was, I am pleased to
say, signed yesterday in an agreement that will extend our
scholarship assistance through 1999.
As I look at the members of the Class of 1997, I see the
future of Nicaragua. You are, collectively, representative of the
tremendous potential this nation possesses. It is you efforts in
business, in public service, in science and in the arts that will
help shape Nicaragua for generations to follow. It is your labors
that will distinguish Central America as one of the rising
economic and social players on the international scene. Talk of
the tigers of Asia may well be supplanted by discussion of the
lions of Central America.
I think this is a very exciting time not only in Nicaragua but
in all of the Americas. We all are relieved that the United States
and Nicaragua have entered a new and positive era in our
relations. Certainly we all know how tumultuous the past has
been. Not only was Nicaragua long at war with itself, but
disputes over U.S. policy toward Nicaragua were so profound
that they often brought the United States Congress to a virtual
showdown and helped trigger a constitutional crisis in my own
country.
Not only in Nicaragua, but throughout Latin America,
political instability, corruption and Cold War schemes were too
often the order of the day. The dreams of the common people
were cruelly caught between the conflicts of East and West, left
and right, rich and poor. Investments in guns and tanks far
surpassed spending on basic needs like education and health care.
As a result, few regions in the world approached Latin
America and the Caribbean’s past record of political instability.
Latin American countries have had a total of 253 constitutions
since independence, an average of 12 per country. Twenty years
ago, with the exception of the English-speaking Caribbean, only
four countries had elected civilian governments. The vast
potential of the people of Latin America was left unfulfilled.
Even ten years ago, if you had told me that all the countries
of the Americas, save Cuba, would today have governments
chosen by multi-party elections I might not have believed you.
The triumph of democracy in the Americas is testament to the
will of the people and to all those who sacrificed so much to
secure freedom
This new era was perhaps best symbolized by the Summit of
the Americas. The Summit of the Americas endorsed a
hemispheric consensus which advances our mutual interests as
never before. The 34 elected heads of state agreed in Miami that
democracy is the touchstone for partnership in the Americas; that
stable economies based on competition, open markets and
regional economic integration will lead to the creation of a Free
Trade Area of the Americas by 2005 -- with a population of 750
million and a GDP of more than $8 trillion; that poverty which
still affects 40 percent of the population must be eliminated; and
that nothing is sustainable unless the environment is respected and
natural resources are managed wisely.
Never have conditions within the region and the hemisphere
looked more promising. As the meeting between our Presidents
just two days ago underscored, never before have we been in
greater agreement on the course for the future of the Americas.
Freed from Cold War prism and the bloody conflicts that
raged throughout Central America just a decade ago, the leaders
of the hemisphere affirmed in Miami and the Central American
Presidents and President Clinton reaffirmed this week, our
commitment to collaboration, to respecting the rights of the
people and to creating an example of social and economic growth
which will be a model for the rest of the world.
This more positive and constructive form of engagement can
be seen in Guatemala with the recent Peace Accord. This new
era can be seen in El Salvador, with the demobilization of former
FMLN and Salvadoran Armed Forces combatants. This new day
can be seen in Paraguay, where the people of that nation
steadfastly refused to see the clock turned back on their
democratic institutions. This progress can also be seen here
today in what, I think I can safely say, is the finest class to ever
graduate from this campus.
Economic systems in the region have been transformed by a
market revolution, but the challenge of fully integrating women,
the poor, and vulnerable groups remains. Respect for human
rights and due process are increasing. Nonetheless, democratic
institutions are fragile. Ethnic, party, and class pressures, and
the corrosive assault of narcotics traffickers, as well as the
tragedy of widespread poverty, endangers them.
The initial stage of economic reforms in Latin America and
the Caribbean have now taken hold. Competition and open
markets are accepted goals, but 200 people million still live in
poverty. The challenge confronting governments and peoples is
formidable: to ensure growth with equity, to meet essential
health and family planning needs; and to preserve the region’s
rich natural resource base. Together we still have much to do. As
a great American educator, Thomas Huxley, once noted, "The
great end of life is not knowledge but action." But seeing what
has been achieved in Nicaragua, I am confident we can meet
these challenges. The people of San Marcos clearly have the interests of their
own citizens well in mind to place such an emphasis on
education. Because you are among the most educated people in
Nicaragua, you know the importance of a well-educated, well-trained work force. Today, at the end of a century, all of you --
the Class of '97 -- are living through a time of great change,
standing on the threshold of a new era. This is a time of
enormous opportunity.
But opportunity demands hard work. Recent polls indicate that
most Nicaraguans believe that unemployment is the single greatest
problem facing the country today, a problem that is not unique to
Nicaragua. This country's future depends on its own
commitment to have a skilled work force and to be fully
integrated into the global economy. Much has already been
accomplished. As a result of the determination and hard work of
the Nicaraguan people and the help of the international
community, Nicaragua has turned the corner. Economic growth
is beginning to result in more jobs and the creation of a solid base
for future growth. And Nicaragua needs to continue building on
this foundation to encourage investment and generate the jobs and
incomes that Nicaraguans so deserve.
Similarly, the Nicaraguan people's commitment to democracy
was clearly demonstrated on election day last fall. I had the
honor to represent President Clinton and lead the U.S. Observer
Mission to witness that historic day. I recall vividly the
incredible throng of voters, lining up for tremendous distances,
sometimes waiting all day after having travelled all night to make
sure that their vote was cast. Sometimes I wish people in my
own nation could be reminded of what a precious gift freedom is.
There will be a host of challenges facing you after your
graduation from this university. You possess the range of
business, scientific and environmental skills the country
desperately needs to get ahead. And I know you will contribute
all of your talent and training to Nicaragua's democratic progress
and economic prosperity.
The Sustainable Development Scholarship Program granted by
USAID to the University of Mobile is only one part of USAID's,
and the U.S. Government's commitment to the education sector in
Nicaragua. Our assistance strategy "puts people first" -- by
focusing support on opening access to social and productive
services for Nicaraguans.
Recognizing that support to the education sector is vital to the
country's overall sustainable development, USAID is helping the
Ministry of Education undertake a major initiative in support of a
stronger and more relevant primary education system. USAID is
supporting Nicaraguan efforts to improve the quality of education
through training teachers, equipping schools, implementing a
more relevant curriculum, increasing parent and community
participation in children's education, and helping the Government
of Nicaragua implement policies to promote educational
decentralization and improved cost efficiency of programs.
We are helping Nicaragua develop the full and productive
potential of the country's most important and valuable resource,
its youth. While university education is pivotal for developing
future leaders, primary education is needed to pull the majority of
people out of poverty and prepare the majority of Nicaraguans to
serve as informed citizens and competitive workers in a
democratic society. No other investment made today will have a
greater impact in bringing sustainable development to Nicaragua
To the class of 1997, I congratulate you on the completion of
your studies. You should take great pride in your
accomplishments. I leave with words of Nicaragua's most
famous poet Rubén Dario, and encourage you on this important
day to reach for the stars and in so doing, you will make sure
that Nicaragua's future is bright: "Si la pátria es pequeña, uno
grande la sueña." [If the country is small, the dream is large].
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 18, 2001
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