Over the course of the day, Sir Eric conferred undergraduate and postgraduate degrees on students in the Faculty of Arts. Ben Emmerson QC, the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter Terrorism and Human Rights, and Dr Wendy Darke, Head of the BBC Natural History Unit, received honorary degrees.

After 14 years as Bristol’s Vice-Chancellor, Sir Eric steps down in mid-August. He hands over the reins to Professor Hugh Brady, Professor of Medicine and Healthcare Strategy and President Emeritus at University College Dublin (UCD). Professor Brady takes up the role in September.

Earlier in the week, Sir Eric joined his predecessor, Sir John Kingman, and his successor, Professor Hugh Brady, for a special photographic portrait (see image opposite). 

You can see photographs from last week’s degree ceremonies in our Flickr album, and on Tagboard under the hashtag #bristolgrad.