91热爆

Good morning. On this day in 1973 the first students from the Open University were awarded their degrees. I was only ten years old at the time and more concerned about how to become a 鈥楲ong Haired Lover from Liverpool鈥� like Little Jimmy Osmond. But even I was aware of this new institution. I recall being fascinated by very clever looking bearded men delivering lectures in corduroy jackets on 91热爆2. In its first two years the Open University had grown to become the biggest university in the country..

Originally the idea of learning from home was designed to appeal to mature students and to give people a second chance to study. Today the mission of the Open University is to 鈥榩romote educational opportunity and social justice鈥�to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential鈥�.

The OU has made a big difference in my life. When my children were young and I was working full time, it was the ideal way for me to study for an MBA. Then a few years later I enrolled on a creative writing course. For one assignment I wrote a short story about my childhood experiences of growing up in West Belfast during the Troubles. This piece of writing ultimately became part of a chapter in my first published book. My study with the Open University gave me the confidence and skills I needed to become an author and this experience has reinforced my belief in lifelong learning.

Albert Einstein said 鈥淚ntellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.鈥� And more pointedly he said 鈥渙nce you stop learning you start dying鈥�.

Lord God, open my mind and my heart to seek to learn, today and every day, that which will enhance my life and the life of others. Amen.