The University of Sussex will celebrate the achievements of over 4,000 students at the upcoming Summer Graduation (Monday 22 to Friday 26 July). 

In the biggest event yet, more than 3,500 graduands will receive their degrees in person and, along with their 13,000 guests, will fill the Brighton Centre over the course of a week.

As this year’s hosts for the Brighton and Sussex Medical School graduation, a total of 12 ceremonies are scheduled with attendants coming from over 100 countries.

The University will be recognising both academic and extra-curricular achievements, while sharing the stories of our students in their very own words.

The physical space of the Brighton Centre will be transformed to share the voices of our students, allowing guests to travel through the venue reading our graduands’ favourite memories, individual achievements or the obstacles they may have had to overcome to get to where they are today.

The graduands have also been encouraged to submit their stories online, sharing their favourite memories from their time at Sussex.    

Adam Tickell, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, said: “The University of Sussex is home to a diverse range of passionate and dedicated students; students who will go on to inspire others, challenge injustices and influence change for a better world.

“Each and every graduate will have gone through their own personal journey to get to where they are today and they should feel immensely proud of all they have worked for.

“I wish them every success for their futures as they embark on a new chapter of their story.”

The University will also be sharing the stories of five inspiring individuals who will be awarded honorary degrees this year.

These will be presented to:

• Professor Ann Wintle, an archaeology-loving physicist who discovered that thermoluminescence could also provide timelines for the formation of ancient sand dunes and sediment of ocean beds
  
  
• Professor Nikolas Rose, an internationally renowned social scientist taking an interdisciplinary approach to pursue ‘mental health-friendly environments’
  
  
• Professor Catherine Hall, a leading social and cultural historian honoured for telling the honest story of empire
  
  
• Professor Carlos Frenk, a cosmologist who contributed to Cold Dark Matter theory which is still the leading explanation for the structure and composition of the Universe
  
  
• Simon Segars, a global tech industry leader and CEO of Arm Holdings which makes the chips found in mobile phones

The honorary graduates and our students will have their degrees awarded by the Chancellor, actor and comedian, Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE, in what will be his tenth year in the role.

During his time at Sussex, the Chancellor has awarded over 56,000 degrees with almost 40,000 of those in person, celebrating with individuals through thousands of handshakes, hugs or dances.

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