A ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of the summer graduation ceremonies
Professor Sue Rigby has been officially inaugurated as Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University in a ceremony at the Usher Hall.
Professor Rigby took up the post in January, following the retirement of Professor Andrea Nolan. A palaeontologist by background, she was previously Vice Chancellor of Bath Spa University and held roles at the Universities of Cambridge, Leicester, Lincoln and Edinburgh.
Ahead her first graduation ceremony as head of the University, Professor Rigby was formally introduced by Chancellor Will Whitehorn OBE – the first time the tradition has been held since the inauguration of Professor Nolan in 2013.
It marks the start of ENU’s summer graduations, which will see around 2,300 students cross the stage to be presented with their qualifications over the course of seven ceremonies.
They began today with new graduates from the University’s School of Applied Sciences and conclude on Friday 11 July.
Addressing the audience, Professor Rigby said: “I am very honoured to stand here as the new Principal and Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University and grateful to University Court for putting its faith in me to guide this institution through its next chapter.
“Edinburgh Napier is unique and truly comprised of difference-makers. Staff are passionately committed to the University, and they understand that this is a community not a location or a history.
“They are world leaders in their disciplines but value the opportunity to teach and support learning above all else. They are bound together by passion and by an unswerving moral compass.
“Their driving purpose is to reduce inequality and to improve lives through their research and teaching. They are do-ers as well as thinkers.
“It is right that people challenge universities about their purpose and the value they offer to society. It is up to us to speak to that challenge and to show our worth.
“This is easy in the case of Edinburgh Napier University, and it is what I will do for the duration of my tenure.”