A record number of students have graduated from the Department of Security and Resilience at Bucks New University, receiving their awards from Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rebecca Bunting.
Students graduated at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Protective Security Management, Crowd Safety Management, Security Consultancy and Organisational Resilience in a ceremony at the Wycombe Swan theatre.
The ceremony also saw students studying the Bucks New University-based Business Continuity Institute’s Diploma receiving their awards. Garry Evanson, Chair of the Security Institute and Head of Security at Westminster Abbey, spoke to graduates.
Phil Wood MBE, Head of School, pictured, said: “As a leading figure in the UK resilience sector, and with his wide overview of industry issues, Garry was able to provide sage and strong advice and commentary to the graduating students about the importance of education, service and the need for security in a changing world. A record number of students have graduated from the Department of Security and Resilience at Bucks, receiving their awards from Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rebecca Bunting.”The graduates themselves came from many disciplines and parts of the world, with students from as far afield as Canada travelling to receive their awards. Unfortunately, and as is common with the types of roles that students in the sector fulfil, many could not attend due to work and operational requirements.”
The High Wycombe-based university offers programmes across a range of security, continuity and resilience-related disciplines, including policing and criminology. In the coming academic year, it will focus on the launch of a Cyber Resilience Centre in Aylesbury, and the continued introduction of programmes for the armed forces, which allow serving personnel to accredit their experience and service qualifications to enter degree courses.
The majority of the courses on offer to the armed forces can be completed remotely and many of this year’s graduates have qualified while in full-time jobs, in some cases on active service overseas. A number of courses are eligible for financial support, including government-backed Professional and Career Development Loans and help from the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), the Ministry of Defence’s official provider of Armed Forces Resettlement.
