Thank you for making graduation possible
Email to all staff from Professor Simone Buitendijk, Vice-Chancellor and President, on 1 August.
Dear colleague,
Having just concluded two weeks of graduation celebrations on campus, I am once again so proud to be a part of our amazing University community.
Despite the challenges our students have faced in their time with us, they have displayed resilience and adaptability and the atmosphere on campus was wonderful.
I wanted to take a moment to thank and celebrate each and every one of you. From the moment a student joins us, we work together as a community to help them to thrive at Leeds and beyond and of course this relationship doesn’t end at graduation, as they continue their lifelong Leeds journey as part of our global alumni family.
Every member of staff plays an essential role in this journey, and the collaboration and commitment that I see across our institution, to ensure that each student gets the chance to walk across the stage, fills me with such pride and gratitude.
I know that a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication goes into the planning of graduation and that many colleagues volunteer their time to ensure the smooth running of our ceremonies. I cannot thank each of you enough for preparing our students ahead of such a significant moment in their lives and helping to celebrate their well-earned achievements.
The smiles, and cheers of joy from students, their friends and relations in the Great Hall over the last fortnight, are all thanks to you and serve as a lovely reminder of why we are here, driving student success and making Leeds a great place to study.
With best wishes,
Professor Simone Buitendijk
Vice-Chancellor and President
Graduation highlights
- Our round up graduation video celebrating our incredible staff community
- Our Forever Leeds graduation video capturing the memories of our graduating students
- Our Chancellor Professor Dame Jane Francis sharing what makes graduation so special at Leeds
- The pearls of wisdom from alumna and BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty for graduating students
- Interviews with TV presenter Anita Rani and leading physicist Professor Ondrej Krivanek on the day they received Honorary Degrees from Leeds
- The group of students who met for the first time at their graduation after spending four years learning online together
- The Syrian refugee who finally graduated as a doctor at Leeds ten years after she began studying in her home country
- The trio of graduates who have been helping to fight the battle against malaria in Africa