By Eamonn Keyes

The 2024 Graduation Ceremony for the University Of the Highlands and Islands Orkney Campus took part in St. Magnus Cathedral on a very blustery Friday September 27^th.  The gowned graduates and their guests made their way into the Cathedral, garments swirling and blowing around them in a typical chilly Orkney autumn wind despite many futile attempts to try to tame them into place. 

Inside the somewhat warmer building the mood in the pews was one of happiness and anticipation with the culmination of years of study now being rewarded publicly in full view of family and friends, with smiles everywhere as UHI’s academic staff drifted around in full ceremonial robes of varying hues denoting their rank and faculty.  Atmospheric music  setting the occasion floated softly around the building’s impressive vaults, courtesy of the excellent soprano voice of Hannah Firth ably accompanied by Ellen Grieve on accordion. Mark Shiner, the Head of Maritime Studies at UHI Orkney did the initial welcome and gave the necessary housekeeping information for the day prior to the Academic Procession.

The Academic Procession, piped along by two pipers, marks the beginning of the ceremony. This is an impressive sight, with the academic staff decked out in ceremonial robes wending their way around the Cathedral and featuring the carrying of the academic mace. The academic mace was one of the earliest distinctive signs of medieval university officials, originally a wooden staff carried by royal messengers, but evolving over time into a more ornate mace.

Once the Procession had concluded we were welcomed by UHI Orkney Principal Seonaidh McDonald. Congratulations were given to the successful students present and I learned that UHI currently has some 36,000 students spread over a remarkable 70 campuses and learning centres, a remarkable demonstration of the success in dealing with the geographical problems and scattered population from whence UHI students come. The Principal announced the special awards to be made, and the presentations began. An Honorary Doctorate was due to be bestowed on one of Orkney’s most successful artisans, Sheila Fleet, and in addition both UHI academics Peter Martin and Claire Kemp were to be awarded their Vice-Chancellorships.

This ceremony is in the Edinburgh University tradition, where a tap on the head of graduates is made with a cap believed to be made from the seat of John Knox’s breeches. The citation for Sheila Fleet was read by UHI Orkney Deputy Principal Claire Kemp, and then, with a simple tap on her head from UHI Principal and Vice-Chancellor Vicki Nairn’s hat, Sheila Fleet received her Honorary Doctorate, received with great applause from those present.

This was not surprising as one or more of Sheila’s well-loved designs must reside in almost every home in Orkney, being used in their capacity as excellent gifts for all occasions. 

Next came the awarding of Vice-Chancellorships to Peter Martin of the UHI Agronomy Institute and to Deputy Principal Claire Kemp. The citation for Peter Martin was read by Orkney businessman Richard Shearer.

The citation for Claire Kemp was read by Harvey Johnston, ex-lecturer in agriculture and ex-deputy principal of Orkney College UHI, and ex-convener of Orkney Islands Council.

Claire Kemp joined the new Orkney College campus in 2000, contributing to its incorporation into UHI. She then pursued Sustainable Economics and community -led projects before joining Orkney islands Council where she managed the Business Gateway service. She returned to UHI Orkney as Deputy Principal, helping to steer it over time and was stated by Harvey Johnson to be regarded as a natural teacher and ‘the rock that keeps the show on the road’.

After the special awards the graduates had their special moment, being called in turn amid applause to receive their head taps or scrolls for having attained their qualification is a dazzling array of subjects covering practical skills, arts, sciences amid tiers of qualifications ranging from Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). These included many prizes for special levels of attainment and sponsored prizes from local businesses and organisations.

The graduates covered every age group, showing that many have embarked on learning in later years or even after retirement, and it was amazing to see the level of education and the numbers involved in these islands at this time. We must be proud of these people, our people, and the credit they bring to Orkney and their homes further afield. The ceremony was finished with closing remarks from Councillor Ivan Taylor.

After the ceremony the graduates made their way through an even stronger breeze to King Street Halls for a Graduation Reception, complete with glass of bubbly and canapés and a chance to discuss the ceremony, congratulate each other, and have many photographs taken with family and friends.

One of the things that had struck me most was the range of courses offered by UHI, and I made a mental note to follow up one in particular. At the ceremony I came across the recipient of a Certificate of Higher Education qualification, Stephen Ruddy. His subject had piqued my interest- Music Sync and Placement. I had no idea what it was, and decided to find out what it was and what Stephen’s story was.   It turns out that Music Sync and Placement is a course aimed at upskilling musicians in placing music in visual media, a key skill for musicians navigating post-pandemic changes in film, television, and advertising. Stephen, originally from England, works as a gardener in Kylesku in Sutherland, where he lives with his wife, and as he plays guitar in his spare time decided to pursue this course. It requires 200 hours of study, including teaching, self-directed study, and assessments. It is fully online delivered online with no face-to-face sessions, and can be studied at convenience each week, which suited his varied working life. For the course Stephen had to compose a piece of music to be used in being synced to video, and it has given him a greater appreciation of how it is used, sometimes badly, in television and films. His next step will likely be to look more closely at the subject and seek courses that will help him with possibly working with it in movies in the future.

It was an excellent day, a chance to celebrate achievement and to recognise the level of skills and education being produced by people in our community by the efforts of a special and dedicated group of academic teachers. Well done all.