The University of Queensland Chancellor, Sir Llew Edwards, AC will bow out after 16 years at the helm, at the 6pm graduation ceremony tonight Monday, December 15.
The 6pm ceremony will also be the last official UQ graduation ceremony attended by UQ Secretary and Registrar Douglas Porter, who retires on January 28, 2009 after 22 years service.
Mr Porter receives a Doctor of Economics honoris causa and will be guest speaker at the 6pm ceremony at the UQ Centre, Union Road, St Lucia.
Sir Llew has presented 80,000 degrees, diplomas or certificates to graduands over the years.
Ms Mary Ton, who graduates Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Science, will be the last person to walk across the stage to receive a degree from Sir Llew.
Other highlights of today's ceremonies include:
11am ceremony
• Founding chair of the Queensland Tourist & Travel Corporation Sir Frank Moore, AO will be presented with a Doctor of the University honoris causa.
• The student valedictorian is William Toe, who graduates with a Bachelor of Business Management, majoring in general management, and a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting and finance. He was awarded Deans Commendations for high achievement every semester of his dual degrees.
Mr Toe was Finance Director of YAA UQ student company last year and was part of the UQ team which was one of the five national Australian campus champion finalists in the JP Morgan Investment Banking Competition earlier this year in Sydney. The competition involved a hypothetical merger and acquisition case study.
Mr Toe has been accepted into an honours program at UQ next year, and hopes to work in the banking sector.
• MBA graduands include Colin Hardcastle who won the annual UQ Service to the Community Top MBA Award for his work with the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra, which he launched with a group of similar-minded local musicians in 2000.
2pm ceremony
• BHP Billiton chair and former CEO and Managing Director of the NAB Donald Argus, AO, will receive a Doctor of Business honoris causa and be guest speaker.
• Student valedictorian is Thomas Gole who will graduate at the same ceremony as his girlfriend Kavita Paw, who is the law valedictorian.
6pm ceremony
• The student valedictorian and Faculty Dean’s Honour Roll recipient Andre Fromyhr is following a family tradition for academic achievement. He will graduate Bachelor of Commerce (Hons Class 1) with a major in Finance. He also completed a Bachelor of Science with a major in Mathematics alongside his undergraduate Commerce studies.
Andre was the president of the Financial Management Association of Australia (FMAA) Brisbane in 2007, with two vears of prior service to the association. He completed his secondary education at Brisbane Boys´ College and attained an OP1.
His chosen profession is a world away from that of his parents’ academic discipline, who are both music academics. His mother, Judy Fromyhr is a Senior Lecturer in Music, at Australian Catholic University and also Head of Early Childhood, Queensland Conservation of Music, Griffith University. His father, Tor Fromyhr, is Head of Strings, Canberra School of Music, Australian National University. Andre is commencing work with JPMorgan in Sydney as an analyst in Equities Research, having previously done internships with JPMorgan and Macquarie Bank.
The ceremonies will be streamed live over the internet. Enter the username guest. Click on the eye icon to view.
