23 March 2001 April date for Lincoln Graduation

Six hundred and thirty degrees and diplomas, including 20 doctorates, will be awarded at Lincoln University's 2001 graduation ceremony, set for the afternoon of 27 April, in Christchurch Town Hall.

The degrees and diplomas cover 17 different broad discipline areas with the doctorates ranging over fields as diverse as avian ecology, fibre science, primary production development and animal health.

Honorary doctorates will be conferred on two notable New Zealanders and the University's top medal, the Bledisloe award for outstanding contributions to the advancement of New Zealand's interests, will also be presented.

Lincoln's total graduation number for 2001 will swell beyond 630 later in the year when the University holds its special international ceremony in Malaysia.

Ahead of the Friday ceremony there will be a 'Campus Day' at the University on Thursday 26 April for graduands, family members and friends. After the ceremony there will be the traditional Graduation Ball, in the Christchurch Convention Centre.

Lincoln's graduation ceremony will be presided over by the University Chancellor, the Hon. Margaret Austin.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.