The class of 2025 were celebrated by Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) at this year's Graduation ceremonies.
The sun shone as friends and families gathered at The Pavilion in Bournemouth for four graduation ceremonies held across on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 July.
This year’s cohort of undergraduates saw an impressive 71% of students graduate with a higher degree; either a first or a 2:1.
Lisa Mann, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer of AUB, says, “Completing a degree in the arts is never a passive journey; it demands courage, critical thinking, resilience and vision. Our graduates have created, questioned, and reimagined the world as only artists, designers, performers, architects, creatives, filmmakers, animators, writers and makers can.
“The creative industries are a huge success story for the UK economy. Art, Design and Culture contribute around £124 billion to the UK economy annually. These industries are so important to so many; festivals, theatre, cinema, music, galleries, innovation, technology, health and wellbeing, the interface between creativity, science and technology is becoming more and more apparent and social prescribing is recognising the arts as key to human health.”
The University also celebrated its six Honorary Fellows for 2025:
- Roma Agrawal, an engineer, author and presenter who's best known for working on the design of The Shard.
- Sophie Deen, an entrepreneur, children’s author, and dedicated advocate for the ethical use of AI.
- Grace Gorman, a professional hair and make-up artist for stage and screen.
- Ilishio Lovejoy, an ESG practitioner committed to advancing labour-centred industry transitions and fostering fair, inclusive industry practices.
- Elspeth McBain, CEO of Lighthouse, Poole, the South West’s largest arts centre.
- Clary Salandy, a London-based carnival and theatre designer renowned for her innovative large-scale body sculptures and contributions to Notting Hill Carnival.
“I am truly honoured by this award and deeply grateful for the recognition of Lighthouse’s contribution to the cultural life of the region," says Elspeth. “On a personal level, it is a real career highlight, but the whole team at Lighthouse is thrilled.
"It was a very special and happy day celebrating with all the talented students and their tutors. Thank you so much.”
On conferring the Honorary titles, Lisa says, “These esteemed figures from across the worlds of art, design, media and performance have demonstrated a significant contribution to the creative arts and are well-recognised and respected among their peers and contemporaries.”
