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After more than a century of graduations, Queensland’s largest university is celebrating a major milestone this December: 250,000 graduates.
After more than a century of graduations, Queensland’s largest university is celebrating a major milestone this December: 250,000 graduates.
14 December 2017

After more than a century of graduations, Queensland’s largest university is celebrating a major milestone this December: 250,000 graduates.

Õ¬Äе¼º½ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said it was a momentous occasion for the University, but also for Queensland.

“As Queensland’s first university, Õ¬Äе¼º½ has been crucial to the growth, advancement and prosperity of our state and the nation,” Professor Høj said.

“Graduating 250,000 students means we have contributed to the global pool of knowledge leaders who are transforming communities here and in over 170 countries around the world.”

“Our graduates are among our greatest assets, so this December is a significant milestone in our 108 year history,” Professor Høj said.

Among Õ¬Äе¼º½’s outstanding graduates are Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, science pioneer Dorothy Hill, Chair of the Productivity Commission Peter Harris, Nobel Laureate and immunologist Professor Peter Doherty, 26th Governor of Queensland Paul de Jersey, DowDuPont Executive Chairman and Dow Chemical Company CEO Andrew Liveris, triple Emmy Award-winning production designer and art director Deborah Riley, co-inventor of the heart stent Dr Gary Roubin, Flight Centre Founder Graham Turner, University of California San Francisco Chancellor Professor Sam Hawgood, triple Grammy award-winning musician Tim Munro, best-selling author Kate Morton, materials scientist and chemical engineer Professor Max Lu and celebrity chef Ben Milbourne. 

“The list of Õ¬Äе¼º½’s graduates is long, impressive and extremely diverse and I am enormously proud to watch that list swell with over 8000 students graduating this December,” Professor Høj said.

“Our graduates have come from diverse communities throughout the world, bringing with them unique ideas and perspectives. On graduating they become a part of our Õ¬Äе¼º½ community, an impressive cohort that has worked to better themselves and the world.”

Õ¬Äе¼º½ Graduation ceremonies will run from at Õ¬Äе¼º½’s St Lucia and Gatton campuses.

A list of notable Õ¬Äе¼º½ Alumni is online .

Professor Høj said students graduated from Õ¬Äе¼º½ with the resilience to manage the uncertainties ahead as new technology and innovation leads to entirely new career paths.

“Receiving a qualification from a world-class university is a passport to global opportunities and access to an extraordinary network of other graduates.”

The University conferred its first degrees on two women and three men 104 years ago in 1913.

A full list of ceremony dates and times is available . The official December 2018 graduations hashtag is #Õ¬Äе¼º½250K

Media: Õ¬Äе¼º½ Communications, communications@uq.edu.au or 07 3346 0561 to arrange media passes.

Some notable Õ¬Äе¼º½ graduates are listed below:

  • , Current Queensland Premier and Minister for the Arts.
  • Tim Munro, a Triple-Grammy-winning musician.
  • , Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame
  • , a pioneer of women in science
  • , a highly cited health researcher in the fields of cancer and epidemiology
  • , Olympic gold medallist.
  • , CEO of Uniting Care Queensland
  • , a former Australian rugby union captain.
  • , triple Emmy Award-winning production designer and art director who has worked on Game of Thrones.
  • , The University of New South Wales’ first Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous
  • , former Australian Governor-General
  • , former Australian Wallabies rugby union captain
  • , a leading melanoma researcher
  • Andrew Liveris, DowDuPont Executive Chairman and Dow Chemical Company CEO
  • , the 26th Governor of Queensland.
  • , the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra.
  • , Executive Director of UN Women National Committee Australia
  • , a New York Times Bestselling author
  • , Australia’s Eurovision nominee 2016, placed second.
  • , President University of California San Francisco (UCSF) (top 20 in the world).
  • , Õ¬Äе¼º½ presenter, Nine Network's Today show.
  • , a world-leading scientist in materials science and chemical engineering.
  • Ben Milbourne celebrity chef
  • , Indiana University President
  • Award-winning journalist and documentarian.
  • , President and Principal at King’s College London
  • , A multi-award winning investigative journalist whose contributions to public discourse have included some
  • , The CEO and Managing Director of Brisbane Airport Corporation.
  • , The 30th and current Premier of Western Australia.
  • , The Carnival Australia Executive Chairman.
  • , entrepreneur, bionics activist and speech pathologist
  • Doherty, A Nobel Prize Laureate, veterinary surgeon and medical researcher. Named the 1997 Australian of the Year.
  • highly decorated nurse and humanitarian worker
  • , a multi-disciplined entrepreneur and the founder of a billion-dollar food franchise empire in the US.
  • , a doctor and writer who has become one of Australia’s best-loved authors.
  • , The Founder and former Managing Director of Blue Sky Alternative Investments Limited.
  • , a 2017 Walkley Award recipient and multiple-award winning science journalist who works for the ABC in Canberra.
  • , a 2017 Walkley Award recipient and multiple-award winning science journalist who works for the ABC in Canberra.
  • , The co-inventor of the heart stent.
  • Matthew Versluys , A coveted gaming engineer currently working with Bonfire in California.
  • , A wildlife filmmaker and Episode Producer for Planet Earth 2
  • , The Commonwealth Attorney-General, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Leader of the Government in the Senate.
  • , A Member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Managing Director of EnergyAustralia.
  • , A Member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia
  • , A Member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and one of Australia’s best-known economists.