Degree of success as university scholars celebrate special day

A campaigner for LGBTQI+ rights bags an academic honour

Activist Peter Tatchel will join graduands from Abertay today to collect an honorary degree.

The institution will hold its annual winter-graduation ceremony in the Caird Hall, with hundreds of graduands collecting hard-earned qualifications, watched on by proud loved ones.

Friday’s celebration will feature the first from an international video-gameseducation collaboration between Abertay University and major Chinese entertainment company Perfect World passing through.

The students started their studies in the Chinese capital Beijing, before travelling the 7,880 miles to the City of Discovery to finish their training.

Graduand Lili Liu is one of those picking up her degree and said: “I’m from Dali, a coastal city in China, and I’d always wanted to study abroad. I’ve now had the opportunity to do that.

“I’ve been able to improve my skills in a professional environment and I’ve learned exactly how the industry works.

“I have friends from right around the world now, and that’s a positive thing.”

She added she had fallen in love with Dundee: “There are so many game companies based here, so it’s a great place to study,” she said.

“It’s a very international city and also very beautiful – it’s the sunniest city in Scotland after all.”

LGBTQI+ campaigner Tatchell, who was recently arrested in Moscow during the FIFA World Cup protesting against the country’s strict homophobic laws, will receive an honorary degree in recognition of his work.

Abertay principal and vice-chancellor Professor Nigel Seaton said: “Graduation is a time of immense pride for the Abertay community.

“It’s not just about what our new graduates have achieved, it’s about who they have become and what they will go on to do.”

It’s not just about what our new graduates have achieved, it’s about who they have become and what they will go on to do

Picture: Steven Brown.