‘Perryfessorship’ awarded to Birmingham 2022 mascot on graduation visit
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games mascot gets special graduation ceremony to celebrate University role as Official Partner.
Official mascot of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Perry the Bull receiving an honorary award, a 'Perryfessorship', at a special ceremony prior to the graduation ceremony for Sports and Exercise Science students.
Perry, the official mascot of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, today ‘graduated’ from the University of Birmingham after being awarded a ‘Perryfessorship’.
George Christian, Guild of Students Sports Officer and Cathy Gilbert, Director of External Relations and University Lead for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games presented the iconic multi-coloured bull with his graduation scroll in a special ceremony held in the University’s historic Great Hall.
Perry was welcomed to the campus by staff and students, meeting graduands and their families ahead of the Sport and Exercise Science graduation ceremony.
The popular mascot followed tradition and walked under the clock tower ‘Old Joe’ in mortar board and gown, as thousands of graduates do every year at the University.
We look forward to welcoming athletes, spectators and guests from around the world when we host the hockey and squash competitions.
The Brummie bull’s visit came as the University prepares to host Birmingham 2022 hockey and squash competitions– events that are expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators to the Edgbaston campus during the course of the games. As an Official Partner of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the University is also an athletes’ village and has signed the most comprehensive partnership agreement of any University in the history of the Commonwealth Games.
Cathy Gilbert commented: “Welcoming Perry to the University’s beautiful campus brought home just how close we are to the Games as the excitement continues to build. It was marvellous to see our graduating students engaging with Perry and taking selfies – a real bonus to an already memorable day!
“We are a civic university with a global outlook and our Commonwealth connections in education and research are deep and wide-ranging. We look forward to welcoming athletes, spectators and guests from around the world when we host the hockey and squash competitions.”
Notes for editors
Notes for editors
For more information, please contact pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk or call +44 (0) 7789 921 165.
- The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.
About the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
- The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be held from 28 July until 8 August 2022, will be a major opportunity to feature the city, the region, and its people on the global stage.
- The Games is already proving to be a catalyst for transformation across the West Midlands, attracting new investment and funding, creating jobs and apprenticeships for local people and new opportunities for local businesses, as well as accelerating projects that will ensure the region is ready to host a fantastic sports and cultural celebration.
- Birmingham 2022 will be the Games for everyone, bringing people together from across Birmingham and the region, to provide a warm welcome to millions of visitors during the summer of 2022.