LSME Annual Convocation 2020 was held online on 23rd of October. The event was attended by graduating students and their guests, LSME staff and VIPs. The ceremony marked the presentation of Diplomas and Special Awards to the graduating class of 2020 for the BSc (Hons) Business Management, BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management, Diploma in Education and Training, BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Health and Social Care and the BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Business qualifications.
The event was honoured by the presence of Dr Annette Prandzioch, Director-General, Royal Overseas League (ROSL), Professor Stephen McKinney from the University of Glasgow, Katie Akerman from the University of Chichester, Dr Peter Gray from the Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Dr Aamaal Ali, Former Minister for Gender Family & Human Rights, Permanent Secretary at the Former Ministry of Education, Maldives, and other invited special guests. LSME Annual Convocation 2020
In his opening remarks, Professor Stephen McKinney recognised the achievements and applauded the graduates for their determination and perseverance. He paid tribute to the staff and Directors of the institution for providing excellent academic support and for their unparalleled provision of pastoral care and support to the students.
He highlighted their calling to be educators of young people to support their development into meaningful citizens who can make a difference in society. Professor McKinney congratulated and commended the graduating students for their sacrifices and hard work. He emphasised the need for the graduates to recognise the joy of learning and the satisfaction derived from being educated by LSME.
In her welcome address, the Principal of the College, Dr Sarita Parhi, congratulated the graduating classes and members of staff of the institution for their outstanding efforts in supporting their learners during their academic journey. She asked graduates to reflect on how the year has been full of twists and turns and marked by numerous challenges to overcome as mentioned earlier, whether they were academic or personal. LSME Annual Convocation 2020
She highlighted the hard work and commitment of the staff in their efforts to support the students throughout the process to ensure they meet the standards of the awarding organisation and to prepare them for their future careers. This has been done by instilling essential values right from the beginning and encouraging them to combine a sense of entrepreneurship with an awareness of their social and environmental responsibilities, as well as an ability to value other cultures.
She provided an insight into the progress made in the last academic year on student achievement and retention and on improving access to higher education through our outreach activities in the local community.
Director of Quality and Standards of the University of Chichester, Katie Ackerman, was a guest of honour for the event. In her address, she commended the graduands for being committed despite the Covid-19 Pandemic and the disruptions that followed, asking them to to make the most of their degree and define their success in their own terms. She quoted Dr Seuss, ‘You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose. LSME Annual Convocation 2020
’She related to the bravery, smartness and strength of the graduating students who have been resilient in managing themselves to enable them to succeed with their education. She also expressed her appreciation to the staff, directors of the institution and all those who supported the students throughout their academic journey and adventure with LSME.
Dr Peter Gray from the Norwegian University of Science and technology remarked that LSME has provided a safe home for its students from the beginning of their academic journey and yet they are internationalized by making them a part of an international network of academics and collaborators. He congratulated the graduating classes and asked to make use of this unique opportunity as they progress in all aspects of their academic and working lives.
Dr Annette Prandzioch, who was the Chief Guest for the event, thanked LSME for the invitation. She congratulated the graduands for succeeding in their education and commended the institution for its international outlook and culture that embraces diversity which she said has broken the social barriers created by the Covid-19 crises. She remarked that our annual international conferences and commitment to linking people from all over the world aligns with her personal values.
She highlighted her experience and passion for engagement with people from different parts of the world through her role in the Commonwealth and her current position as the Director-General of ROSL. She advised that opening ourselves to learn about different cultures can help us to support each other and save the unique environment in which we all thrive.
In a televised video link, the executive members of the LSME Alumni Association, Mr Jerome Obode, Mr Seth Hart and Mr Sylvester Ojobo addressed the graduands asking them to register to become members of the association. They collectively highlighted the benefits of joining the association, which included several opportunities for career development and employability skills development.
They expressed their sincere hope that the newly qualified graduands will contribute to the development of the association by playing an active role in the organisation of events and meetings. This they believed will draw others to their energy and create future opportunities for more success. They congratulated the graduates for their hard work and wished them the very best of luck in all their future endeavours.
Martin McAreavy, from the University of Bolton asked the graduands to reflect on their personal achievement, experiences and challenges as they receive their awards. He stressed how privileged they are to have been taught by first-class tutors who have challenged them to be the best that they can be, giving them the confidence of a UK higher education. LSME Annual Convocation 2020
Chris Dancer from the University of Chichester shared in the celebration of the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the graduands but also highlighted that the graduation ceremony also celebrates the shared ethos and philosophies of LSME and the University of Chichester which has led to the development of a successful partnership.
Dr Richen Chophel, the Executive Director of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC), joined in from Bhutan with a warm congratulatory message to the graduands, asking them to continue to face challenges and deal with life in a positive way.
Dr Aamal Ali, the former Minister of Gender, Family and Human Rights and former Permanent Secretary for Education in the Maldives, congratulated the graduates for their achievement and urged everyone to remember that the world is hurting and everyone has a responsibility and a part to play to adopt and adapt to the changing world. She commended the management of LSME for creating a unique opportunity to celebrate the success of the students.
The successful graduates were conferred with their Diplomas and Special Awards. The special awards were presented to outstanding graduates in recognition of their individual accomplishments throughout their educational journey.
BEST STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
The overall Best Student of the Year Award was presented by Dr Sarita Parhi to Claudia Sandulache for her commitment, self-motivation, excellent attendance and academic achievement and her willingness to volunteer to support her peers as a class rep or to support the institution as a student ambassador. In her appreciation, the awardee confirmed their allegiance to the institution and thanked the management and staff for their constant source of inspiration and support. She dedicated the award to all graduating students. LSME Annual Convocation 2020
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Three more students Sylvester Ojobo, Jerome Obode and Seth Hart were also recognised by the College for their overall contribution to the institution.
Some of the graduating students shared their testimonies on their journeys with LSME since their admission into the College and the award of their diplomas. They urged all graduates to continue to work hard as they begin to venture into the world of employment and uncertainties.
Mr Hassan Shiffau, the Chief Research and Innovations Officer also congratulated the graduands and highlighted our plans for the delivery of teaching and learning in the short term as well as the progress made with the Access and Participation projects and the UN PRME initiatives.
The ceremony was concluded by an address by Dr Ravi Kumar, the Executive Director of LSME. In his remarks, he congratulated the graduands and highlighted the ethos, values and the unique attributes of the institution. He reiterated the plans of the institution in the area of research development, further expansion of academic portfolio employer engagement. He also extended his sincere gratitude to all VIP guests, graduates and members of staff of LSME.
CONVOCATION PHOTOS
This year’s celebration is going to be a little different, the LSME Graduation Ceremony is going VIRTUAL!
The London School of Management Education (LSME) graduates eligible students who are in good standing upon the successful completion of the requirements of their course of study as listed in the course handbooks. This offers students the opportunity to celebrate their achievement. Due to the social gathering restrictions in the UK imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s convocation ceremony will be conducted as a hybrid virtual session over Zoom conferencing platform with live streaming. LSME Annual Convocation 2020
All the technical details of taking part in this memorable and exciting new experience will be provided to you upon registering for the event. We are all looking forward to celebrating your success and capturing the moment in time through a hybrid platform, we have created just for this purpose.
GRADUATION DATE
LSME graduation usually takes place in September of each academic year, however, due to the current situation it has been scheduled for Friday 23rd of October 2020. We only hold one ceremony on the day and any changes in this schedule will be communicated to prospective graduands in due course.
BOOKING YOUR ATTENDANCE
Eligible students may elect to have their award conferred without being present at an official ceremony, i.e. conferral in absentia.
Where an award is conferred in absentia, the Graduands are expected to coordinate with LSME for either the postal despatch or collection of the Certificate from the office.
The LSME will not automatically confer awards in absentia for students who do not respond to their invitation to attend the virtual graduation ceremony.
Students who accept the invitation to attend the graduation ceremony, but then do not attend, will have their awards conferred in absentia after the ceremony unless the student contacts LSME to make alternative arrangements.
Where a student has passed away before the conferral of their award but had completed all the requirements for the award, the award will be conferred posthumously, either to a nominated representative of the deceased student’s estate or in absentia.
All graduating students are required to register and attend the virtual ceremony. Please register at: http://LSME.graduations.live.
CONFERRAL IN ABSENTIA
Eligibility
Every person who fulfils the requirements for completion of an awarded course of either Pearson or University of Chichester is eligible for formal conferral of the award by LSME. Successful course completion must be confirmed by the Exam Board after undergoing our internal quality assurance processes. LSME Annual Convocation 2020
If you find that you have not successfully achieved an award in the graduation year, you will not be eligible to attend the ceremony. Students who are re-sitting will be eligible to attend once they have passed or may defer their attendance to a future year subject to successfully completing the course.
Students who have successfully completed their course must also ensure payment of all tuition fee and additional charges levied on the students as confirmed by the Administration Department.
Students on academic or disciplinary probation are not eligible to graduate.
Invitation
Invitations have been emailed from the Administration Office to all eligible students. This email also confirms the date, venue and time of the ceremony. Students should make sure to inform the Administration Office of any changes in their contact details including your email address, as they may not receive their invitation otherwise.
Any student that believes they are eligible to attend the ceremony but who have not received their invitation should contact Admin via admin@lsme.ac.uk with the following details: full name, student ID number, course, and current email address.
Registering your attendance
You must register in advance if you wish to attend. Please confirm your attendance by responding to the email invitation by 12th October 2020.
Students who are not able to attend must still send their RSVP to the Administration Office.
GUESTS
Since the event will be done online, LSME will allow students to invite their family members or friends up to a maximum of five Guests per student to attend the ceremony without any additional cost.
GOWNS AND PHOTOGRAPHY
If you would like to wear a graduation gown for the ceremony, you are required to contact the Graduation Attire, which is the designated gowning company for renting your gown and providing the photography and video service for the ceremony via their website.
To arrange for your gowns and to have your official pictures taken, you need to register your details. Upon registering on the Graduation Attire link, you will be asked to answer some questions and your responses will be used to create your personalised graduation video clip which will be used in the live streaming of the graduation ceremony. The student will be responsible for all costs related to renting the gowns.
THE CEREMONY
The ceremony will be conducted online via Zoom and it will take approximately 3 hours. The link to the ceremony will be sent to all graduating students on 22nd October 2020 with a detailed programme for the event and timetable as well as any further instructions for the day, please ensure you read through all the details.
All students and guests must be seated by the time stated on the timetable for the day. They must adhere to the ground rules for the online ceremony without disrupting other people. Entry for students and guests may not be possible once the ceremony has commenced.
We reserve the right to dismiss graduates and their guest from the ceremony if they are being disruptive to the online proceedings or to other guests or do not follow the protocols set for the event.
Unforeseen circumstances
Although we aim to hold graduation ceremonies as advertised on this website, we reserve the right to make alterations if necessary. For instance, in the event of a serious disruption to public order, other unforeseen situations in addition to the current restrictions on social gathering due to COVID-19.
In such situations, in which it is likely the event will have to be cancelled or postponed, LSME will make every effort to contact you to let you know the future plans. We will also make every effort to publish information on our web pages and other suitable channels as soon as possible.
AFTER GRADUATION
After your graduation, you automatically become members of the LSME Alumni Network. For further information on the LSME Alumni and how to register, visit https://lsme.ac.uk/alumni-registration.