UCOL graduates top 1600

9 March 2012

UCOL graduates top 1600

UCOL holds its annual graduation ceremonies on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 March, celebrating the achievements of well over 1600 students eligible to graduate with Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates.

A total of 1654 students are eligible to graduate from the Palmerston North campus in this year’s ceremonies.

For students, graduation represents great personal commitment and achievement, hard work and, often, some financial hardship.

As well as celebrating the achievements of students, UCOL graduation ceremonies also recognise the contribution of friends and families, and of UCOL academic and support staff.

The first ceremony on Tuesday will acknowledge the recipients of Certificate qualifications. Those eligible to graduate represent programmes across the campus from the Humanities and Business, Trades and Technology, Health Science, and Education and Delivery and Innovation Faculties. Young race car driver Ant Pedersen, currently competing in the new V8 Supertourer Championship in New Zealand, is the speaker at this ceremony.

Diplomas and degrees will be conferred at the Wednesday ceremony. More than 400 students from three faculties are eligible to graduate. Highly respected Director of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School Christian Penny, is the guest speaker.

Wednesday’s ceremony will also include the announcement of the 2011 UCOL Council Honours, recognising people who have made a particularly outstanding contribution, to UCOL and to the wider community.

Bachelor of Nursing graduands are the largest group to graduate at the UCOL ceremonies. Fifty two are eligible to graduate, with a further 76 students graduating from the one year Registered Nurse to degree (RNBN) programme.

Other large graduating groups include students from the Early Childhood Education, Professional Cookery, Hospitality, Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging, Mechanical, Automotive and Engineering programmes.

UCOL’s Diploma in Performing Arts and Contemporary Music Performance students will provide entertainment during and after the ceremonies.

At the conclusion of each ceremony, graduates, their families and members of the official UCOL party will form a procession along Broadway Avenue and Princess Street to the Atrium at the UCOL campus.

When: Certificates awarded for the Faculty of Humanities and Business, Faculty of Health Science, Faculty of Education Delivery and Innovation, and the Faculty of Trades and Technology - 1.00 p.m. Tuesday 13 March.

Diplomas awarded and Degrees conferred for the Faculty of Humanities and Business, the Faculty of Health Science and the Faculty of Trades and Technology - 1.00 p.m. Wednesday 14 March.

Where: Regent on Broadway

Background on Graduation speakers:

Ant Pedersen is a race car driver, currently competing in the new V8 Supertourer Championship in New Zealand.

A former karting champion, Ant has made a rapid rise in motorsport.This month he won the feature race at Hampton Downs in the inaugural V8 Supertourer series. Over the years he has raced successfully on both sides of the Tasman in both the V8 Supercars category and the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship.

Ant is 23 and grew up in Rotorua. He is a recent graduate of Massey University. He currently works as an accountant with accounting firm, Staples Rodway, in Hamilton.

Christian Penny took up the positon of Director of Toi Whakaari in May 2011 after ten years as Head of Directing at the national theatre school. He has worked in theatre in New Zealand for more than ten years and is recognised as one of this country’s boldest theatre directors.

A student of comedienne and director Phillipe Gaulier from the Paris-based L’Ecole Jacques Le Coq, Christian took this physical approach into ‘Theatre at Large’, which he co- founded in 1990. His productions have been invited to the International Festival of the Arts in Wellington, The Festival of Perth and in Adelaide and have toured America and the United Kingdom.

He is of Tainui descent and is committed to developing the art form, pushing boundaries and creating a theatre unique to this land.

ENDS

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