The graduation ceremony of P.A. College was held on Friday, June 30, 2017 at Larnaca Municipal Theatre and marked the completion of a successful academic year.

Among the honorary guests of the evening were the Mayor of Larnaca, Mr. Andreas Vyras, the MP, Mr. Christos Orphanides, representatives of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, representatives of Grant Thornton (Cyprus) Ltd, representatives of KPMG Limited, Cyprus and the external examiner, Professor Duska Rosenberg from the University of London.

In his message, Dr. Patsalides referred to the successful functioning and distinct course of the College for 34 years which are based on its guiding philosophy of specialisation in Business and Computing studies thus resulting in the provision of excellent quality Higher Education. The Director pointed out the unique achievements of the College in the fields of Business Administration and Business Computing. Furthermore, reference was made to the strategic collaborations with the world-class Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) and the world-renowned auditing firms Grant Thornton (Cyprus) Ltd, and KPMG Limited, Cyprus. The Strategic Programmes ‘Grant Thornton Route to ACA’ and ‘KPMG Graduate Route to ACA’ have positioned P.A. College in an elite class of its own as the only Higher Education Institution in the world with two employer affiliated programmes.

Dr. Patsalides congratulated Mr. Filippos Loizou, Head of the Business Administration Department at the College, for being appointed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, as a steering committee member of its Academic and Education Community which is chaired by the President of the Institute.

The Honourable Mayor of Larnaca, Mr. Andreas Vyras praised the leading role of P.A. College in Higher Education and the city of Larnaca. Mr. Vyras expressed his sincere and profound appreciation to Dr. Andreas Patsalides and Mrs. Maria Patsalidou for their distinct and tireless work and contribution to Higher Education and the city of Larnaca for more than 34 years.

In her speech, Mrs. Laura Barber, Academic Education Manager at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, indicated the excellent and long standing collaboration between the Institute and P.A. College and praised the excellent quality of education services provided by the College.

In her message, Mrs. Jenny Hadjicosta, Marketing Director at Grant Thornton (Cyprus) Ltd has confirmed the high degree of employability and the multiple employment opportunities enjoyed by the graduates of the College. In addition, she referred to the excellent collaboration between Grant Thornton (Cyprus) Ltd and the third cohort of P.A. College students who are currently participating in the 'Grant Thornton Route to ACA' programme. She stated that these students have been assigned important work tasks and that the degree of response and success is extremely high.

Addressing the graduates, Dr. Duska Rosenberg said that, as an experienced academic and external examiner at the Universities of Cambridge, London, Sheffield, Stanford, Sussex, Wiesbaden, and Zagreb, she was delighted to observe that the level of P.A. College is as high as the level of the aforementioned universities.

During the ceremony, graduates received their degrees and prizes were awarded to those who pursued high academic achievements.

Special thanks were expressed to all individuals and organisations that offered prizes. At the end of the ceremony, all guests were invited to a cocktail reception.