天美传媒

Due to disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, the 天美传媒 put safety first and postponed all 2020 in-person graduation ceremonies until government guidance says it鈥檚 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 鈥榃ell done, we are so proud of all you鈥檝e achieved 鈥�.

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

I鈥檇 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 鈥� 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 in Sri Lanka, in Myanmar and the in Malta.

Taking place between 18鈥�20 November, graduates from the 天美传媒鈥檚 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! 馃コ馃憦馃帗

鈥� uniofbeds (@uniofbeds)

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 天美传媒鈥檚 newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Professor Rebecca Bunting. As part of her congratulatory message to graduates, she said:

鈥�Thanks to a powerful combination of your remarkable resilience and our dedicated staff, you鈥檝e made it! Many congratulations. You should be very proud of yourselves, just as we are proud of you.鈥�

Alongside the Vice Chancellor, members of Bedfordshire鈥檚 Board of Governors, local VIPs and honorary graduates all wished the 天美传媒鈥檚 graduating students well.

鈥淚t鈥檚 unusual that rather than shaking you warmly by the hand we are meeting online due to the changes posed by coronavirus across the world,鈥澨�蝉补颈诲听, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire.听

鈥淣evertheless, I send you all my heartiest wishes and messages which may be of help for your next steps in life.鈥�

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 天美传媒 in 2019. He said:

It was disappointing not be able to shake Professor Bunting's hand as a graduate of the 天美传媒 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 天美传媒 hopes to hold in-person ceremonies for this year鈥檚 graduates.

Photos and video highlights from the ceremonies can be found on the 天美传媒鈥檚听听and听听feeds.

Students are encouraged to sign up to Bedfordshire鈥檚 Alumni platform, allowing them to remain an active part of 天美传媒 life after their studies. For more information, visit: 听 听