our roots

Message from the CHANCELLOR
Dr. Florence Muli-Musiime
A Call to leading
by serving
Congratulations to the Class of
2015 for consistently working
towards today’s milestone in your
lives. Some of you have already
decided on your next steps once you step
out of Daystar University while for some of
you, the focus is to build a fulfilling career
in the public or private sector or go directly
to graduate school. It is my hope that
there is no one still trying to answer the
question... ‘what next?’, and just in case
you do, be assured that there are plenty of
opportunities out there waiting to discover
you; if you have the courage to introduce
yourself to them. However, I would like to
remind you that no matter what path you
have chosen, you are Daystarians with a
unique call to demonstrate to your world
that servant leadership is possible. My
call to you therefore is to carry the Daystar
University culture with you wherever you
may find yourself; be it in the public or
private sector. In line with the graduation
theme ‘creative and transformative servant
leaders for Africa and the world,’ always
ensure that you work hard, have fun, but
at the same time remain sharply aware
of the inevitable and perpetual changes
taking place in the world, as you look for
opportunities to bring positive change in
the lives of the people around you. Always
be aware that you are joining a work
environment where professional ethics,
transparency and humility in leadership
are fast running out of fashion in an
environment where individual wealth
accumulation rather than wealth creation
for the common good is en vogue.
As we celebrate the Class of 2015,
let us remember to say thank you to the
Daystar Alumni who have consistently
demonstrated that Daystar’s investment
over the years, in improving the learning
environment by providing state of the art
facilities, has been worth the investment.
It is because of this that the university
has continued to send out well-prepared
graduates to the job market. The positive
rating of our university in a recent report
by Corporate Staffing Services, being
the top second most preferred private
university in Kenya by employers is a
testimony to our investment in quality
teaching and hard work by our students
and alumni. This has further enhanced
Daystars local and continental visibility.
Underpinning Daystar’s teaching and
learning is our commitment and pursuit
of faith in an all caring and compassionate
God. This is demonstrated by the more
than Ksh.30 million towards students’
tuition fee support for needy students
that the university puts aside each year.
This has seen hundreds of students who
would have otherwise not completed their
studies graduate. Several other teams
in the University are also involved in
fundraising for the financially-challenged
students as well. Every three years, the
University sends the esteemed music
group, Afrizo, to the United States to
market Daystar through Gospel song
and dance and also to raise funds
towards students’ scholarships. I take
the opportunity to thank the University
staff, students and Daystar US office staff
involved in the recent Afrizo US trip in
September 2014. More than Ksh 25 million
was raised in that single trip.
I also want to applaud our students
who have shown love and care for their
fellow students. Having come together
and formed the Daystar University
Students Resource Mobilization group.
Within the year, the group has held
various fundraising efforts where more
than 1.5 million shillings was raised. The
funds will enable financially-challenged
students complete their studies here at
Daystar. I would also like to appreciate a
good number of our faculty and staff who
contribute every month towards student
scholarship. We are all very grateful to
God that we can say that many of the 2015
graduating students who were struggling
with fee balances are here today because
the fee balances were cleared through
donations made available through our
fundraising office in US, and contributions
by Daystar University faculty and staff.
These are people who believed that God
has put something of value in you that can
be a blessing to Church and society. May
the good Lord bless them all!
My final thought to you graduands -
graduation should never mean a goodbye.
This is because today you transition from
being a Daystar University student, to
automatically become a Daystar alumnus.
As such, our doors will always be open to
you, so please stay actively engaged and
connected as members of our alumni
community.
Congratulations as you walk out of the
familiar Daystar doors. May God Bless and
prosper you.
4 • DaystarConnect 2015