Sesame - May 2001
VC’s Column
What do you say to them?
The recent Cardiff degree ceremony was a personal milestone. I was formally installed as Vice-Chancellor at the Cardiff ceremony in 1990 so the 2001 event made me reflect on the many celebrations of our graduates’ success that I have attended over eleven years. In that time I have officiated at a hundred and fifty OU award ceremonies in ten countries and have conversed with some fifty thousand new graduates and diplomates.
OU award ceremonies combine dignity and friendliness. The focus is on recognising the success of each individual rather than delivering tedious and parochial speeches about the state of higher education. That is why I hold a brief conversation with each graduate. After the ceremony people frequently ask me, ‘What do you say to them?’
The answer is that, after congratulating each graduate, I follow up with different comments, taking my cue to a large extent from the demeanour of each graduate. Some graduates find the award ceremony the scariest feature of OU study and I can tell that they are eager to get across the stage. Others come with statements they want to make to me.
I often thank graduates for studying with the OU, which usually elicits heartfelt expressions of gratitude for the opportunity it has given them, how superbly organised we are, and what a national treasure the OU is.
Frequently I express the hope that OU study will open doors for them in the future or otherwise make a positive difference. A majority tell me that it already has. At the Cardiff ceremony I was particularly impressed by the numbers who reported promotions or major changes to their lives as a result of OU study. One notable development, just in the last two years, is the sharp increase in the numbers of graduates who say – with pride – that they are embarking on masters degree courses, either at the OU or elsewhere.
When I am in questioning mode I sometimes ask how long they have been working towards their degree. The modal reply is ‘six years’ but at each ceremony I find veterans who have been at it for up to twenty years. ‘What was your favourite course?’ is a question that elicits a great variety of responses. Over a season of degree ceremonies almost every course that the OU offers is cited. Art History and Literature are recalled with special affection, as are the foundation courses.
I sometimes ask ‘what made you embark on OU study?’ Only a minority claim a career motivation. Most say. ‘I wanted a challenge’ or ‘I wanted to learn’ or ‘I had time on my hands’. The most original reply was, ‘I wanted to get a degree in each millennium’.
My most frequent question is. ‘Do you think the effort and investment has been worthwhile?’ The responses are overwhelmingly positive and usually enthusiastic. That’s why degree ceremonies have been such an enjoyable part of my duties as Vice-Chancellor.