More than 65 graduants – and a celebrity – dressed in gowns and mortar boards for the celebratory ceremony in the Crichton Memorial Church last Tuesday afternoon.
And alongside the hard-working students, university chancellor Sir Kenneth Calman also conferred an honorary degree on broadcaster Neil Oliver, who was awarded Doctor of Letters in recognition of his contributions to broadcasting and public engagement.
Dr Carol Hill, head of the school of interdisciplinary studies, also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to the regional campus.
She highlighted a new postgraduate degree in enhanced practice in education, which will start in September, and a new pilot that will enhance the primary teaching degree and qualify future graduates to teach S1 to S3 pupils.
Dr Hill said: “The Dumfries campus is no longer viewed as an addition to the Glasgow campus but integral to it.
“This time last year we were projected to reach 300 graduates by 2015/16 – we are on track to exceed that target.”
She added: “It isn’t just student numbers that are growing; the school now has 44 staff who live in the region and contribute to its wider economy and culture.
“These include a highly talented pool of 31 academics whose work contributed to the university’s high ranking in the periodic national assessment of research quality – The Research Excellence Framework – in the subject areas of social policy, where the University of Glasgow was ranked first in Scotland and eighth in the UK, in history where it was ranked second in the UK and in English language and literature.”
