Uni celebrates winter graduation

Saturday January 17 sees more than 800 students celebrating their graduation across three ceremonies during the course of the day.

Each of them will be presided over by the University’s Chancellor, Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE DL. She will personally greet each graduand and inspire them to use their education to make a difference in the world.

In addition to parents, relations and friends, the students will be joined by three distinguished Honorary Graduates:

Professor Steve Field CBE (DSc) 9am
Steve Field is Chief Inspector of General Practice at the Care Quality Commission and is also Chairman of the National Inclusion Health Board. In addition to these roles, Steve continues to practise as a GP at Bellevue Medical Centre in Birmingham. Steve was NHS England’s Deputy National Medical Director and the Chairman of the NHS Future Forum. Steve received a CBE for Services to Medicine in The Queen’s 2010 New Year’s Honours List.

Glynis Atherton (LLD) 11.45am
Thousands of people in Exeter, mid and east Devon have been touched by the care and support of Hospiscare, a charity which provides care for people at the end of their lives not only in a hospice environment, but also in the community.
Glynis has been Chief Executive of Hospiscare for the past nine years, and under her leadership the charity has thrived. Part of its success is due to the superb partnerships it has forged with local organisations and businesses, including the University of Exeter, which has partnered Hospiscare for the past three years with tremendous support from staff and students.

Trevor Phillips OBE (DLitt) 3pm
Trevor Phillips is a writer and television producer. He is a Director of Webber Phillips Limited, and the Deputy Chair of the Steering Committee of the National Equality Standard.

Well-known for his successful book Windrush, he is at present writing a sequel due for publication in 2015. An award-winning broadcaster, Trevor received two Royal Television Society journalism awards. He remains committed to equality issues, having been the former Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality and the elected Chair of the Greater London Authority.

Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE DL, Chancellor of the University of Exeter says: “The Graduation ceremonies are an uplifting and joyful celebration of our students’ achievements. It is an opportunity for friends and family to join me in congratulating each and every graduand. I feel a sense of honour and privilege to award degrees to each and every one of them and I hope they will be inspired to use the qualification gained at our top ten University to change the world. They join a family of more than 80,000 Exeter alumni and we hope they keep in touch with us”.

The ceremonies will be streamed live from our Graduation website. A full timetable of ceremonies can be viewed on our dates and schedules page.