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Cyprus Association of American Univesity Graduates

Remarks by Ambassador Michael Klosson

December 10, 2004

Good evening, and thank you to the Cyprus Association of American University Graduates for inviting me tonight.  A warm welcome and seasons greetings to all the graduates, friends and their family who are here.  It’s always a pleasure to join you. 

And it’s very comforting to hear the mellow sounds of good American jazz, played so expertly by the Ambonis Jazz Ensemble, most of whom, I believe, studied in the United States, like all of you.

Before I say a few words, I’d like to share a quote I recently heard from Daniel Hadjitoffi, the President of the Cyprus Fulbright Commission (Daniel, if you’re here tonight, this was too good not to repeat):  “As Henry the VIII said to each of his wives, ‘Don’t worry … I won’t be keeping you long.”

After all, this is a social event and we have a lot of eating and dancing to do. 

First, let me thank you for your commitment to study in the U.S.  As one who spent time in schools in Moscow and Kingston, Jamaica, and studied French cinema in Paris, I am a big fan of studying abroad.  It is one of the most natural ways of building international understanding and cooperation.*

I hope that you have found this to be true through your own experiences in the United States – coming to know Americans, both our strengths and weaknesses, and helping Americans better understand Cyprus.  I also hope that your time there inspired you to encourage younger students to seek a similar experience, either in America or somewhere else.

There is no need to outline the value of an American education for graduates of American institutions.  For the young people out there who seek your advice on this -- and I’m sure there are many -- I’d like to say a word about why study in the U.S. remains an appealing option for Cypriots. 

Recently my staff and I have been hearing that membership in the EU confers cost advantages for Cypriots that make a U.S. education seem far out of reach in comparison and that our visa application procedures pose huge obstacles to study in the U.S. 

As you all know firsthand, however, American schools have advantages that should not be overlooked.*

In comments to me over my stay in Cyprus, a number of Cypriot parents have observed that what they find distinctive about an American education is its emphasis on learning how to learn, how to think critically, and how to communicate effectively.  I agree.  B.F. Skinner, a famous American psychologist, once said, “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”  He’s right. 

In our 21st century of an increasingly knowledge-based, but information-overloaded economy, the ability to assimilate and sort masses of information, frame the issues, focus on the key questions and develop strategies on how to get those answers is what distinguishes successful people and companies from those who aren’t.  That is all about critical thinking.*

I may not remember all the basic elements from chemistry, for example, but I know where to find them.  The specialized expertise coupled with critical thinking skills that students gain at American schools are increasingly valuable in our globalized, interconnected, and competitive world.

Funding can be a problem.  However, keep in mind that American schools often offer generous financial aid packages to foreign students.  Cypriot students have some of the highest grade point averages among foreign students in the U.S., and schools are anxious to recruit them. 

Since September 11th, moreover, most governments have tightened up on border security.  But that is not a barrier to study in the U.S.  We don’t want to lose even one qualified foreign student.  Student visas are a priority at the Embassy.  The U.S. Government overall has made many improvements in our procedures which reflects our “secure borders, open doors” approach.*

As a result, for example, 97% of the people who come in for student visas at our Embassies get them in one or two days.

Perhaps most importantly, studying in the U.S. is an opportunity not only to strive for academic excellence, but to get to know the American people and American ways, and equally important, for Americans to get to know Cyprus. 

            Interest among Cypriots in studying in the USA remains high. According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), an independent non-profit organization, at least 1,834 Cypriots were enrolled in U.S. universities in the academic year 2002-2003, an incredible figure for an island with a population of less than one million.  They join 600,000 other foreign students studying in America.

You have returned to Cyprus and each and every one of you is making a mark in business, government, academia, the arts or some other sphere.  I hope your American education has opened doors for you, but more importantly, that it has served you well over time, allowed you to keep growing and learning, as a good education must, and contributed to good ties between our countries.

That said, thoughts of study and work should be far from our minds this evening.  Let’s relax and enjoy the wonderful meal and our fellowship together. 

It’s the Christmas season, my family’s favorite time of year and perhaps yours.*

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the tradition of hanging mistletoe in doorways at this time of year – if two people find themselves under it, they have to kiss each other.  I was recently at a Cyprus Airways check-in counter at Larnaca.  It was all decked out with Christmas decorations and mistletoe.  When I asked about the mistletoe, the attendant told me it was there so you could “check in and kiss your bags goodbye.”

Gift giving is also a tradition at Christmas time and a very complicated business.  Last Christmas, I must confess, I made a terrible mistake.  My wife Boni made me promise I would not go out and buy her a fancy, expensive gift.  And I didn’t!

The real gifts during this season, however, are the gifts of life, community and fellowship.  So it is wonderful to share those with you this evening.

Thank you once again for inviting me.