Open Eye: Time to celebrate as you graduate

Congratulations to all who received good news over the holidays (and commiserations to those who heard that they need to study a little longer).

Graduates will be invited to attend eve-of-graduation dinners associated with this year's awards ceremonies - most of them located handily to the place of graduation.

Where appropriate the dinners are directly linked with Choice Hotels who already offer special accommodation rates for OU graduands attending the following day's ceremonies.

Organised by The OU LINK, in partnership with the Association of OU Graduates (AOUG), the OUBS MBA Alumni Association, and the Students Association (OUSA), the dinners will cost about pounds 20 per head and will celebrate 25 years of graduations, 30 years of the OU and its partnership with the BBC, and 250,000 awards.

The actual date of the University's receiving its Charter is 23 April, which is coincidentally Shakespeare's birthday and St George's Day. That evening the Vice-Chancellor will be hosting the OU's first event for graduates in the US, in Los Angeles.

Depending on the location, dinner will be followed either by a guest speaker or a disco (or, possibly, by both).

Guests and former graduates are of course welcome, and geography is no restriction - if you will happen to be in LA, or Singapore, or Brussels on the appropriate day, you will be welcome. But please book your tickets in advance.

More information by phone on 01908 655751 or by post from the address on this page. The venues are:

9 April Harrogate;

16 April Nottingham;

23 April Exeter;

23 April Los Angeles;

30 April Edinburgh;

7 May Birmingham;

7 May Burnley;

14 May Cardiff;

15 May Dublin;

21 May Eastbourne;

4 June Singapore;

11 June Carrickfergus;

11 June Newcastle upon Tyne;

19 June Central London;

29 June Milton Keynes;

9 July Crystal Palace;

11 Sept Brussels.