UC celebrates its April graduates in special ceremonies
The University of Canterbury is hosting two special Graduation Celebrations in September for hundreds of graduates who missed out on graduating in person in April due to the pandemic lockdown.
About 1200 UC students graduated in absentia during lockdown, instead of at the university’s traditional April Graduation ceremonies. This image is from one of UC’s December 2019 Graduation Ceremonies.
To make up for the Covid-cancelled Graduation ceremonies, which affected around 1200 graduands, there will be two Graduation Celebrations on Tuesday 1 September (instead of the usual four or April ceremonies over two days).
The Graduation Celebrations will be held at the Christchurch Town Hall, in Kilmore Street, with the traditional graduation procession through Christchurch’s CBD before each ceremony, says the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, Professor Catherine Moran.
Professor Moran says the university is thrilled to be able to celebrate the accomplishments of the UC graduates who weren’t able to graduate in person in April due to the cancelation of all mass gatherings and nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.
“We will have about 650 graduates, including 67 international students, who will ‘procesh’ [walk through town in a graduation parade] and walk across the stage at the Christchurch Town Hall over one morning and one afternoon ceremony,” she says. “The main difference between this celebration and a typical graduation ceremony is the graduates won’t receive their physical degrees or diplomas, which were mailed to them in absentia.”