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Summer graduation ceremonies: Message from President and Vice-Chancellor

30 Mar 2021

Ceremonies scheduled for this July will not take place in-person

Summer graduation

Dear colleague,

While the government’s roadmap out of lockdown brings us all some optimism for the coming months, it is not currently clear whether social distancing or any other COVID safety measures, including travel restrictions, will still be in operation in the UK later this year or; how we may be impacted by a predicted ‘third wave’ of the pandemic. As the 21 June date outlined in the government’s roadmap is the earliest date that restrictions may be lifted and this is just a few weeks before our graduation ceremonies would usually take place, we have made the very difficult decision not to hold in-person graduation ceremonies this summer.

The health of our students, staff and visitors remains our top priority. Due to the many uncertainties, including in relation to travel and accommodation for our graduands and their guests, we’ve made this decision now to give students as much notice as possible, so their plans aren’t disrupted at a later date.

I understand this is very disappointing news. Graduation is one of the highlights of our students’ time with us, and not being able to celebrate it in-person this summer is sad news for them and our whole University community. Indeed, it is one of my personal highlights of each year.

We firmly believe that every graduand should have the opportunity to celebrate their achievements fully, and we are working closely with the Students’ Union Executive Team to look at our options for in-person events, including any outdoor celebrations that may be able to take place, hopefully before next summer:

  • April-May: We will continue to monitor the updates from government, whilst working through a series of options for in-person events, based on the emerging picture of any on-going restrictions and what may be possible for us to logistically facilitate and when, in terms of large group gatherings.
  • 21 June: We will have a clearer picture of where we stand in terms of the government’s roadmap, to determine what we may be able to confidently deliver and when.
  • End of June: We will write to students again to detail our plans for future events, and will be sure to give at least two months’ notice of any confirmed events, so that they can plan. We very much hope to be able to facilitate an event before the summer of 2022, at the earliest opportunity that it is safe and practical to do so. We will also be updating our graduates from previous postponed ceremonies (from July and December 2020) on any new arrangements.

Students who complete their degree requirements will still graduate this summer, even though there will not be in-person ceremonies at that time. Instead we are organising virtual celebrations to mark their achievements alongside their classmates, family and friends.

We admire the achievement of everyone who graduates from our University, and that is especially true for our recent graduates.

Please stay safe and well.

Nancy Rothwell

President and Vice-Chancellor