The class of 2025 get set to graduate

Across eight ceremonies, graduates from a variety of courses and fields – from engineering and sport to nursing and fine art – will be joined by friends and family as they bid farewell to Solent University.

The culmination of three years of hard work, in which these graduates benefitted from a TEF Gold practice-led approach to learning and teaching, Solent’s graduation ceremonies will welcome 2,000 graduands to the heart of Southampton’s city centre.

Taking place in the city’s biggest events venue, the O2 Guildhall Southampton, Solent’s graduation week brings together the next generation of professionals across a range of industries. This year’s graduation ceremonies will be presided over by Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Board of Governors, Richard Smith and Vice-Chair of the Board, Don Iro.

Solent's Vice-Chancellor, Professor James Knowles, will present the ceremonies. He says:

“This year’s graduation week marks two special occasions. The first is, of course, the successes of our extraordinary graduates, who will now go on to forge meaningful careers in their chosen fields. The second is the 20th anniversary of Solent being awarded university status, and our 2025 graduates now join a global community of around 70,000 alumni.

“I am proud that our students become sought-after professionals thanks to a combination of their hard work and Solent’s focus on real-world learning. Congratulations to our class of 2025 – we all look forward to following your journey beyond university.”

Alongside undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and students of Warsash Maritime School graduating, individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to their field will be awarded honorary degrees. The 2025 recipients are:

• Daniel Crow, Director of 'a space' arts, will receive an Honorary Fellowship
• Jonathan 'Dines' Wilkins, creative director, digital artist and Co-founder of Studio Blup, will be awarded an Honorary Fellowship
• Philip Cotton, former Chair of the Board of Governors at Solent University, will become an honorary Doctor of the University
• Dr Debbie Chase, Director of Public Health at Southampton City Council, will be recognised with an Honorary Fellowship
• Dr John Flackett, Co-founder and Head of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, is becoming an honorary Doctor of Science
• Susan Roaf, a solar energy pioneer, author, scholar and Emeritus Professor of Architectural Engineering at Heriot Watt University, will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering
• Lady Edwina Grosvenor, a criminologist and justice system reformer, will become an honorary Doctor of Law
• Kerry Kyriacos Michael MBE, a theatre director and campaigner, will receive an Honorary Fellowship