Congratulations to our 2012 summer graduands

Sunday, 01 July 2012

This week, nearly 3,500 students will graduate from the University in the Great Hall at the London Road campus.

Many members of staff will give their time voluntarily to help at the ceremonies on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from marshalling and stewarding to manning the information desk. A huge thank you to everyone involved.

Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell said: "The University is extremely proud of all its graduates and I hope they feel a sense of pride in their own achievements and also for the University. We live in challenging times. However, the knowledge, skills and values which our graduates have developed during their time with us will stand them in excellent stead for all that the future holds."

Staff, students, friends and families will, once again, be able to watch the graduation ceremonies live online.

Watch live online >>> [available from Wednesday 4 July] 

Students with queries about graduation should be directed to the Graduation website.

Honorary degrees 2012

This year's graduation ceremony will also see two leading figures from the world of children's television and the Civil Service awarded honorary degrees.

Justin Fletcher will be presented by Dr Andy Kempe for the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters at the 12 noon ceremony on Wednesday 4 July 2012.

Born in Reading and a graduate of the Guildford School of Acting, Justin Fletcher is an actor, children's television presenter and voice over artist of fifteen years and is the voice of Shaun in ‘Shaun the Sheep' which won the Grand Prix best animated production award last year. Justin Fletcher's theatre credits include ‘What a performance' with David Suchet, ‘Class Act' with Joanna Lumley and ‘Calamity Jane'. Justin has won two BAFTAs for best Children's Television Presenter, and was awarded an MBE for his services to Children's television and the charity sector.

Sir Nicholas Montagu will be presented by Christopher Fisher, President of the Council of the University of Reading, for the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters at the 12 noon ceremony on Friday 6 July 2012.

Sir Nicholas was at the heart of Government for over twenty years and worked on pensions, rail privatisation and public service reform, playing a leading role in all three. After lecturing in Philosophy at the University of Reading, Sir Nicholas entered the Civil Service and led the secretariat for the Pensions Inquiry. From 1992 to 1997 he was at the Department of Transport, overseeing the privatisation of the railways and the competition to build the fast rail link to the Channel Tunnel. As its Chairman, Sir Nicholas led the Inland Revenue through its greatest changes in its 200-year history.

Parking disruptions

A reminder that traffic arrangements on and around campus will be disrupted during the three Graduation Days (Wednesday 4 - Friday 6 July). Car parks 2, 3, 7 and the new area of 1 (at the SportsPark) will be reserved for graduation. In addition, the contractors' car park on Queen's Drive and the grassed area to the rear of the sports centre will also be used for the event.

As a result these car parks will be closed to staff on all three days and there is likely to be disruption to parking and traffic around the Whiteknights campus. Please try and avoid bringing your car to Whiteknights if you can. 

Update 03/07/2012: Due to the inclement weather, car park 8 is also planned to be used for graduation so will be closed to staff. Thank you for your understanding. 

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