The College was delighted to welcome 48 students who successfully completed their academic studies and were eligible to graduate on Saturday 2nd July. The ceremony was an opportunity for the College to recognise the fantastic academic and social achievements of these students during their time spent at Spurgeon’s and within the local Croydon community. The College was pleased to welcome 300 guests and staff to the ceremony to celebrate alongside the graduands.
Reverend Canon Professor Nigel Biggar, the Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at Christ Church Oxford as the guest speaker. Reverend Biggar congratulated the graduands on their achievements and the College on achieving full degree awarding powers. Prof Biggar encouraged the College, as a degree awarding power, to be an example in the world of higher education of an institution that lives and operates by its Christian values.
From next academic year, Spurgeon’s College will be able to award degrees in its own name for the first time. This follows the recent decision by the Office for Students (OfS) to award the College Full Degree Awarding Powers – the only higher education institution to be awarded these powers in 2022.
Principal of Spurgeon’s College, Rev Professor Philip McCormack said:
“We were delighted to be able to hold our graduating ceremony earlier this month, recognising the academic commitment and social engagement of our graduating students during their time at Spurgeon’s. They have each shown remarkable perseverance, engaging with their studies while also contributing to the local community, and we now warmly welcome them as Spurgeon’s College alumni. From next year, the College will be pleased to be able to award degrees in its own name to graduates for the first time – an important step in our ambition to expand educational opportunity in Croydon.”
Councillor Sherwan Chowdhury, who attended the graduation, said:
“I was pleased to be able to attend Spurgeon College’s graduation ceremony. It was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Croydon’s students, marking the culmination of years of hard work from them all. Spurgeon’s College plays a vital role as a key educational institution – with many of its graduates going on to work in Croydon and contributing to the local community – and I look forward to working closely with the College to enhance access to education.”
