I'm getting quite good at this 'masquerading as an academic' thing

[major_clanger]

Back in December I took part in the Academic Procession for the winter graduation of Law students at QMUL. It was quite fun and made me feel more a part of the academic community so when the call came out for staff to take part in the summer graduation I volunteered again. The details were much the same as last time, although on this occasion I managed to get some snaps with my phone as we were preparing and in the reception afterwards. Oh, and I made good on my promise to wear my Open University gown and hood this time.



As you can see there was some really quite impressive cat-herding of academics!



That last picture is of me with Prof Richard Ashcroft, Professor of Bioethics at QMUL (and @richardethics on Twitter). We go back a long way together - we were near-neighbours as children, went to the same primary and middle school and then both went to the Royal Grammar School at Guildford. Richard and I rather lost touch after going to university and my efforts to find him online were stymied for a long time by his sharing a name with a rather well-known singer. But last year we got back in touch and then, as it happens, I got a job at QMUL so would almost certainly have encountered him sooner or later anyway. I had the pleasure of attending his inaugural lecture a few months ago, and seeing his parents again for the first time in nearly three decades. It's nice when life works out like that.

Comments

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Hehe! I processed in our graduation ceremony here at Leeds on Monday, and we lined up in pairs in a crocodile too, just as shown in your second photograph. We didn't have the benefit of a diagram, though!

Also, my sister did her degree at Queen Mary's, and I think she had her post-graduation reception in the same room as you're standing in with your friend in the final photo. If it has busts of famous authors up near the ceiling, then it's the same one.

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Very likely - it's The Octagon, which I think QMUL use for most of their big receptions.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Yup, that's the one!

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

You're better at pretending to be an academic than me! Today first time I realised it was graduation was when I discovered all the car parks were full! Then I had to get my car out through flock of dressed up families as Law was holding its post graduation drinks in the car park!! All v embarrassing..