Due to disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, the University put safety first and postponed all 2020 in-person graduation ceremonies until government guidance says it’s safe to reschedule them. However, the occasion was still marked with online ceremonies with many students donning full academic dress to celebrate their achievements.

Eleanor Stillwell, Academic Events Manager, said:

It was a joyous celebration! Staff sent personal messages to broadcast to their students all with the universal theme of ‘Well done, we are so proud of all you’ve achieved ’.

Those watching waved and shouted their congratulations. Many students dressed in full academic dress and delighted in their shared successes.

I’d also like to give a big shout out to Tracey Simpson, Senior Tutor at the Business School, who was the Chief Usher on Wednesday morning and proved her mettle as an unflappable continuity announcer – all on her birthday, too!

The ceremonies have also been a real celebration of our overseas partnerships, with students and colleagues joining in from institutions including the Oxford College of Business in Sri Lanka, STIMU in Myanmar and the London School of Commerce in Malta.

Taking place between 18–20 November, graduates from the University’s Business School, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and Sport and Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science were congratulated over eight ceremonies.

Congratulations to our Creative Arts, Technologies & Science students who graduated today and all of our Class of 2020! 🥳👏🎓 #UniversityofBedfordshire #UniofBeds #Graduation2020 #ClassOf2020 #BedsGrads pic.twitter.com/pqTvfZBLVL

— uniofbeds (@uniofbeds) November 20, 2020

As well as being cheered on by friends and family who were able to tune into the live feed remotely, there were words of encouragement from the University of Bedfordshire’s newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Professor Rebecca Bunting. As part of her congratulatory message to graduates, she said:

“Thanks to a powerful combination of your remarkable resilience and our dedicated staff, you’ve made it! Many congratulations. You should be very proud of yourselves, just as we are proud of you.”

Alongside the Vice Chancellor, members of Bedfordshire’s Board of Governors, local VIPs and honorary graduates all wished the University’s graduating students well.

“It’s unusual that rather than shaking you warmly by the hand we are meeting online due to the changes posed by coronavirus across the world,” said Helen Nellis, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire. 

“Nevertheless, I send you all my heartiest wishes and messages which may be of help for your next steps in life.”

One graduate looking to take the next step from education into a career is Luke Walsh. Luke graduated in MA International Journalism, having attained BA (Hons) Broadcast Journalism from the University in 2019. He said:

It was disappointing not be able to shake Professor Bunting's hand as a graduate of the University this year. There was no greater pride and joy in July 2019 when I graduated in my Bachelor's degree at Putteridge Bury.

However, it still felt like a moment to acknowledge how far I had come in the last year, and the last four years as a whole. I feel blessed that I have still completed my course and I enjoyed hearing from our famous alumni Gemma Hunt, Dr Carrie Grant and Kriss Akabusi. It was really nice to hear words from them that we otherwise may not have.

Once the government advises that medium to large-scale events can re-commence, the University of Bedfordshire hopes to hold in-person ceremonies for this year’s graduates.

Photos and video highlights from the ceremonies can be found on the University’s Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Students are encouraged to sign up to Bedfordshire’s Alumni platform, allowing them to remain an active part of University life after their studies. For more information, visit: www.beds.ac.uk/alumni