Graduations return, even in the heat

JULY was a busy month on campus for us at the University of Reading. It saw the return of our first summer Graduation ceremonies since before the pandemic and I took real pleasure in seeing our students celebrate their achievements with their families and friends.

For those who finished their studies with the University in 2020 and 2021, it was long overdue, but a great opportunity to come back to campus for a visit and be reunited with old friends.

University colleagues worked extremely hard to organise three weeks’ worth of Graduation ceremonies, one of which fell in the record-breaking heatwave we saw in the middle of the month.

It was certainly warm wearing my ceremonial robes that week.

Graduation is a time of celebration, but also represents more than that. It’s the start of a journey for our graduates who, full of hope, full of promise and full of inspiration, will go out into the world to find their way and make their mark. Some of these people will go on to be famous scientists or politicians, some will become leaders of big corporate companies or their own start-up business, some will stay in academia, either teaching the next generation or doing important research that will help develop our understanding of the world. All of them, I have no doubt, will make an impact.

Whatever our graduates move on to next, we will be proud of them. And we know that more than a quarter of Reading graduates stay on in the local area, contributing their skills and knowledge to benefit our community.

This summer, we installed our new Chancellor, Paul

Lindley OBE, and thanked Lord Waldegrave for his service to the University as the outgoing Chancellor.

We also awarded several honorary degrees from the University. These are for people who, in one way or another, have made valuable impact on wider society.

This year we have honoured

some local heroes whose work in their respective fields has made a huge impact to our community. Trisha Bennett received an award for her long-serving community research work in Whitley; entrepreneur and philanthropist John Sykes was awarded an honorary degree for his charity work in Reading; Parkinson’s campaigner Sally Bromley was recognised with an honour, and our very own Emeritus Professor Christine Williams received an award for her contribution to research and teaching on human nutrition.

We also bestowed honorary degrees to General Paul Nanson, who was the driving force behind the Army Higher Education Pathway, which provides the cadets at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst a route towards an academic degree from the University; international human rights and women’s rights advocate Jane Connors; actor and theatre director Charlotte Arrowsmith, who works closely with young deaf people who want to get into theatre; and BAFTA award-winning film director Walter Salles.

This gives a flavour of the wide variety of people the University engages with on a daily basis, and they are also shining examples for our graduating students about the different kinds of impact they can have on society and the world around them. By working together, we can all make an impact.

Professor Robert Van de Noort is the vice-chancellor of the University of Reading