Winter graduation celebrations in St Andrews

More than 800 students from over 80 countries celebrated with their families and classmates in St Andrews this week as four winter graduation ceremonies took place in the town’s Younger Hall.

They were joined by broadcaster Kirsty Young, Scotland’s first female Lord Justice Clerk Lady Dorrian, former Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration Dr Robert M Califf – who received honorary degrees – and Raphael Vermier CBE, who was awarded the University Medal.

The ceremonies were the first since the death of University Chancellor The Right Honourable Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, who presided over 84 graduations in his 20 years as Chancellor, awarding degrees to approximately 15,000 students. Tribute was paid to Lord Campbell – known as Ming – at each ceremony by Principal and Vice-Chancellor Dame Sally Mapstone, and University organist Dr Tom Wilkinson played William’s Walton’s Crown Imperial march, which was one of Ming’s favourites. 

A total of 67 academic promotions were recognised across the four ceremonies, including 24 professorial inductions.

Sacred Music Masters graduate Luis Meseguer Mira was awarded the Principal’s Medal, presented for exceptional endeavour and achievement. The final project of Luis’s degree was to compose a sound installation for the world’s largest monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Madrid. During his time in St Andrews, Luis also served as Assistant Conductor Scholar of the Renaissance Singers. He has been appointed Music Director at the Shrine of St Bernadette in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will take up this position in the new year.

Among the graduates were four students from the USA who came to St Andrews on the Bobby Jones Scholarship programme – an exchange partnership with Emory University – returned to the town to graduate. Amelia Andujar, Grace Johnson, Amelia Tamez and Shreyas Rajagopal were reunited for celebrations after their ceremony.

Physics and Astronomy PhD graduate Dr Joe Crossley celebrated his doctorate with family, including his four-month-old son Eben whose due date in late summer provided Joe with “a hard deadline to get my thesis completed.”

The new graduates celebrated in St Salvator’s Quad following each ceremony, attending the winter Garden Party each afternoon on Lower College Lawn.

Photos from across all four ceremonies can be viewed on the University’s Facebook page and highlights from graduation can be seen on our Instagram account.