AUN and 'Selfie' Generation

It was a colourful event last Monday at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, during which new students (tagged the class of 2020) were formally admitted into the institution. WINIFRED OGBEBO writes on the celebration and wise counsel handed out to the lucky students.

The dean of student affairs, American University of Nigeria (AUN), Mr Byron Bullock, set the ball rolling in his address to the freshers when he said: “I’ve come today to celebrate a new generation of young people, appropriately titled the ‘selfie’ generation.”

A ‘selfie’ generation? The Oxford Dictionary, it was in 2013, that proclaimed ‘selfie’ as the international word of the year. It is a word that is most used today and which has become universally accepted. Bullock who is also the vice president of AUN’s campus life described a ‘selfie’ generation as one that has become obsessed with taking of self-portraits with the use of smart phones and tablets and uploading same on social media like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or SnapChat, and which would change the world.

“This selfie generation I know will truly change the world. All of us as educators have a responsibility to change how these children see the world,” he stated, underscoring the need for the students to be properly guided to make it in a highly competitive and digitalized world.

Byron said it was the responsibility of educators to move the generation away from the spirit of self-centeredness to one of self-empowerment and provide them with the tools to become empowered and motivated at every level as they move to change the world.

“We have moved away from the sharing of ideas to these new ones. We have become obsessed with the sharing of our images rather than our content. Many believe that this generation has become self-centred, egoistical, mean, selfish and only focused on me, me and me.

“We are to teach these young people that as they grow and develop, their aim shall be defined by their actions and not by their pictures. It is important for them to know that those who act are remembered in this lifetime and those who react are forgotten.

“We are to teach them that they must move from a spirit of self-centredness to a spirit of self-awareness. Young people, as you grow and develop here as part of the selfie generation, you cannot just focus on your outward self, you must also bring a great attention to your inward self. What motivates you? While you are here, use it as an opportunity to find that out. Find out what pushes you. What pushes your body will lead you to discover the process you never knew you had,” he philosophized.

Admonishing the class of 2020 to be prepared to identify the person in that ‘selfie’ they post, Bullock said they should use the opportunity of their education at AUN to strive to find answers to such questions “who are you, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, what motivates and frustrates that person in those pictures?”, adding that would guarantee their happiness and success in life.

As part of their selfie revolution, he told the freshers never to lose sight of the importance of self-respect, as he asked: “Do those pictures you post on social media speak well of your character, how do they define to employers and graduate school deans who have the same access to the information you have?

The dean of student affairs told the students “every opportunity to be engaged in this educational experience and in developing in the university both inside and outside of the classroom will only extend who you are and enhance your self-value. In addition to taking advantage of every educational opportunity afforded to you in the classroom, find a way to make a difference in community service and engagement. Find a way to make a contribution in leadership involvement”.

He added: “The world that awaits you when you graduate from this place will not be so kind to you. You have to be prepared for the realities of the real world. Therefore, be at peace with God whatever you conceive him to be and whatever is your aspiration in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its charm, gradually and broken dreams, it’s still a beautiful world.”

The president of AUN, Prof Margee Ensign who talked about the institution’s quality of education, described the university as a very unusual place because of its focus. “It’s a university focused on creating a new and better future for all of us,” she stated.

Referring to the challenge of widespread poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment in the northern part of the country where the school is located as part of its focus, she asked: “How do we help ensure the peace and security of this region of Nigeria? How do we foster greater prosperity in a region where people are so very poor? How can we provide better health care, sanitation and nutrition in a part of the country where child and maternal mortality rates are so very high—among the highest in the world?“

With oil the slump in oil price in the international market, the AUN president wondered how the institution could contribute to building a better economy in Nigeria. “How can we insure honest government throughout the land—how have other countries done this? What are the solutions for unemployment and youth despair? How can we deal with the advancing Sahara desert to the north and the pollution of the Niger Delta in the south?, she asked.

Also identifying other challenges like global warming, Ensign noted that last year was the hottest ever recorded in human history and asked “what do we have to do now to stop global warming? How can we have economic growth without destroying our planet? How can we best use the Internet and its amazing powers to make people’s lives better?”, adding “this is your moment—this is Nigeria’s moment, this is Africa’s moment.”

She commented on the school’s motto which is “Excellence, Integrity, and Service,”, pointing out that AUN had been doing extraordinary service of feeding hundreds of thousands of hungry Nigerians, giving women employable skills and income, giving thousands of boys and girls the opportunity to play and learn together in peace through sports, giving street children a meal a day and chance to learn to read, and some hope in Feed and Read, a project recently funded by the Irish government.

On his part, the president, Student Government Association, Mr Basil Abia, commended his fellow students for their active involvement in research achievements at the AUN, noting “we’re fast becoming a research force amongst international universities and thanks to the world class digitalized library coupled with the state of the art laboratories and facilities; we are really on the right track to becoming Africa’s development force.”