Milton Keynes students have graduated before but this week’s ceremonies saw the first batch of graduates whose University journeys took place entirely at UCMK.

Dr Paul Sant, Associate Dean of UCMK, highlighted the milestone.

"It is great to see the first UCMK graduates who undertook their degrees with us at our campus in Saxon Court.

"Their hard work has really paid off, and I am sure they will be great ambassadors for the University."

The UCMK graduates, studying on MSc Telecommunications Management and Embedded Systems Engineering courses, joined over 400 graduates from across the University. All three graduations took place in Luton.

Thursday (26 March) morning’s ceremony focused on the Business School, with over 150 students being presented with their degrees. Students from partner institutions in Oman – Majan College – and Switzerland – Zurich’s Marketing and Business School – added an international flavour to the ceremony.

A student award was also handed out: The Sir Ian Dixon Memorial Prize – awarded each year to the best student on a professional management course – to Master of Business Administration student Thomas Ojuderi.

The afternoon ceremony, as well as housing the UCMK cohort, witnessed the graduations of students from the faculties of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science, and Education and Sport. The award for the Department of Computer Science and Technology’s Best Overall Masters Student was given to Chukwu Jeremiah.

But the most awards-packed ceremony took place on Friday (March 27) morning. The student award went to Rachel Todd, who received the prize of Best Overall Performance in the Department of Clinical Education and Leadership. She and other students from the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences saw the award of two honorary degrees and the attendance of a Guest of Honour, Ros Alstead, Director of Nursing and Clinical Standards at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

The first honorary recipient was Paul Wells, who manages Bedford’s renowned independent brewery, Charles Wells Ltd. He sat on the University’s board of governors between 2007 and 2013, chairing the Estates Strategy Sub-Committee and the Financial and General Purposes Committee. For his outstanding services to the University of Bedfordshire, he was given an Honorary Fellowship of the University. 

The other honorary was given to Peter Lang, an internationally reputed trainer of practitioners in the areas of family therapy and organisational development. Apt considering the attendance of London’s Institute of Family Therapy at the ceremony, another partner institution, he was made an Honorary Doctor of Science for his significant contribution to those fields.