Simon Bradshaw

Catching up on my LJ posts, as I've had a busy week. Which included a new experience for me: being in an Academic Procession.

I've attended three graduation ceremonies as a graduand, plus my Call to the Bar, which was a very similar sort of event. (I missed my graduation from Imperial because I was at boot camp at the time; I could have arranged time off but it was all a bit complicated.) So, four times I've walked forward in front of a big crowd of family and friends, had my name read out and shaken hands with Someone Important. Or, at Edinburgh, been tapped on the head with a leather bonnet, but they do things differently up there. Now, at any graduation there is a procession of assorted dignitaries in varied robes who sit and clap everyone, thus reassuring said family and friends that this is Important and Taken Seriously. How do you get to be one of these?

Well, at Queen Mary you read an email along the lines of: "Academic Procession - we want a good showing so stop hiding and sign up." I politely enquired if as a newly-appointed RA I was a bit too junior for this and was told that I certainly wasn't, so volunteered. You get asked to state your most senior degree so that the university can hire the right gown and hood, so I put down 'LLM Edinburgh' and my size and trusted that the hiring agency would get it right.

QMUL graduates in its People's Hall, which is not all that huge compared to some venues I've been in before. As such the winter graduation (mainly postgrads) is split into AM and PM ceremonies over two days. I did Wednesday morning as that's when the Law postgrads graduate. On with the best suit and over to the Mile End campus, where I found the robing room and sure enough a black gown with blue hood was waiting for me. Various others academics appeared and were enrobed; many had their PhD gowns but I was by no means the only one in a Bachelor's or Master's attire. Indeed, one chap in what I recognised as the dark blue gown of the Open University turned out to be a professor, who disregarded the 'highest degree' rule on the basis that he thought the OU gown deserved to get shown off at such occasions. I agree and if I do this again I might follow suit!

Following some impressive cat-herding we were eventually lined up and had it explained to us in nice simple terms how we would get up on stage, where we would sit and, importantly, how we would exit in a dignified manner. Then it was off through the maze of corridors at QMUL main building; helpfully, university security were on traffic-management duties to hold open doors and clear our way! Then into the hall and up on stage, where I ended up in the second row just behind the senior presiding officers.

The ceremony was concise without being rushed, with the speeches being short and to the point and the actual graduation well-managed. I was most impressed at how the Dean coped with some very unfamiliar names (about 95% of the graduating students were from outside the UK) and if he mangled any then the graduands in question were too polite or overwhelmed to look offended. All done, we managed to process out without turning into an undignified scrum and headed over to the Octagon (a large meeting and examination hall) where there were abundant snacks and the opportunity for students to get parents and friends to take photos of them with their former lecturers. (This seemed very common, and it's nice to see that my colleagues evidently inspire a fair degree of affection. At least, I hope that was the motivation!)

Even though it took three hours out of a busy week I'm glad I did it. It was an enjoyable and interesting experience and it was very nice to be forming part of what was so clearly a most memorable occasion for all the graduating students and their families. If asked again, I'll definitely volunteer.