Live! has learned that Imperial College's Executive Committee (made up of the Rector, Deputy Rector, Faculty Principals and key service heads) has approved plans to change the structure of the College's Graduation Ceremonies. The proposals, drawn up jointly by Professors Tim Clark (Pro-Rector, Admissions) and Peter Bearman (Deputy Rector) are designed as a response to the ever-growing numbers of students graduating from the College.

The College has, essentially, accepted that from 2002 the number of graduates will be too high for the presentation of undergraduate awards to be completed in a single ceremony. There was also an issue with Medical School graduates who, it is believed, wish to affirm the Hippocratic Oath, for which there is currently insufficient time. The plan is for there two be ceremonies each year, which would ideally still take place on the same day. Graduates would be presented by Faculty with two Faculty presentations per ceremony.

Further changes to the format are also being considered to make the ceremonies "more memorable". Specifically, it has been suggested that each graduate might be presented with a scroll by their Faculty Principal. (At present graduates simply walk on and off the stage, pausing only to bow to the Chairman of the College Court.) These changes may, in part, be driven by some of the sentiment expressed by recent graduates on the letters pages of Felix.

The last major change is graduation ceremonies was in 1995/1996, when a separate Postgraduates Awards Ceremony was held in May (again the result of increasing student numbers).