Glittering Celebration Planned as Duke of Devonshire is Installed as Chancellor
20 October 2008
The 12th Duke of Devonshire will be installed as the new Chancellor of the University at the University's Devonshire Campus in Buxton.
The event will take place at the Universities Devonshire Campus, Buxton.
The University of Derby is excitedly preparing to host a glittering occasion when it celebrates the installation of its new Chancellor, the 12th Duke of Devonshire.
The event will be held on Tuesday October 28, 2008, from 5.30pm, at the University of Derby Buxton, at the Devonshire Campus, under the Dome, a magnificent 19th century structure originally built to cover the exercise area outside the Duke of Devonshire’s stables.
The stunning surroundings will be alive with colour, ceremony and music to mark one of the most important events in the University’s calendar.
The Duke boasts a family connection with his Chatsworth Estate, near Bakewell, and with the county of Derbyshire, dating back 500 years.
The University is looking forward to formalising the relationship with the Duke at the event which promises to be visually spectacular with almost 400 invited guests, many of whom will be proudly wearing academic dress to reflect scholastic achievements and others who’ll be wearing robes of office.
During the installation the University of Derby’s retiring Chancellor, Professor Leslie Wagner CBE, who will complete his five-year term of office, will ceremonially hand over the ‘Robes of Office’ to the Duke who will then sign the Great Book. The gown is a stunning black and gold creation with a colourful gilt panel, which incorporates the University’s coat of arms across the upper back.
The proceedings will commence at 6.15 pm. The procession will include the Chancellor’s party, the members of Governing Council, Academic Board, the professoriate, a specially selected greetings party and senior officers representing invited universities.
Notable honorary graduates of the University of Derby who’ll be attending include the songwriter and guitarist Roy Wood; the Derby born actress and Heartbeat star Gwen Taylor; Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, mother of the new Chancellor; and renowned wildlife artist Pollyanna Pickering.
The Dome is set to be brought to life not only by the visual grandeur of the event but also by musical entertainment. During the processions Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Brass Band will play an adaptation of The Chancellor’s Fanfare, a piece of music specially composed for the University of Derby in 1995 at the time of the installation of the University’s first chancellor, Sir Christopher Ball MA HonDUniv. Other musical performance will be given by the award winning female, four-part, a capella, harmony quartet Tone-Acity.
The Chancellor will perform his first duty of office at the event. He will be presenting awards to the winners of the Chancellor’s Art Competition, a contest open to the University’s partner schools and colleges in the Compact Scheme.
The role of Chancellor is an appointed honorary role. The new Chancellor has a profound commitment to education, business and the arts. He will become a figurehead for the University who will preside at meetings of the University Court, which is a forum for the critical and supportive friends of the University. Chancellors are appointed for a period of five years, which is renewable by mutual agreement.
Professor John Coyne, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said that the new Chancellor was seen as someone with a distinct personality; an astute businessman and heavyweight figure who would bring gravitas to the prominent role.
Professor Coyne added: “What we were looking for was someone well known who could be an ambassador figure for the University.
“The Duke is a person of substance who will resonate well with us being Derbyshire’s University as it takes on an increasingly national profile and builds further upon its success.”
The Duke said: “It is a tremendous honour to have been invited to become the Chancellor of this fine University, the most important seat of learning in Derbyshire, a county my family has called home for five centuries.
“I am very fortunate to follow in the footsteps of my distinguished predecessors, and look forward to working with the Vice-Chancellor, his dedicated and talented staff and all the students who make use of the University’s teaching, research opportunities, scholarship and facilities across the county.”
For further media information please contact Annabel Harvey, 01332 593004 or email: a.caulton@derby.ac.uk
