CONGRATULATIONS are in order for the 3,000 students who will this week graduate from Southampton Institute.

Many of them will attend one of eight ceremonies to be held at Southampton Guildhall over four days.

The latest round of graduation ceremonies comes at a historic time for the Institute which was last week granted university college status.

This means that in years to come the Institute will have the power to award its own Bachelor and Master degrees.

Professor Roger Brown, Principal of Southampton Institute, said: "I would like to congratulate all our graduating students this year for their hard work and achievement and to thank them for the contribution to Southampton Institute." He added: "Southampton Institute is a distinctive institution and is truly student-centred.

"Our students' educational stimulus, satisfaction and success is our abiding preoccupation and the fundamental reason for our existence.

"We take a great deal of pride in the success of our students and graduates."

Southampton Institute will award eight honorary degrees to academics and professionals who have made an outstanding contribution in their field of work.

Fertility expert Professor Lord Robert Maurice Winston will be made a Doctor of Technology for his outstanding contribution to the field of technology.

The professor, of Imperial College London, has been recognised for his ability to make complex scientific and ethical issues accessible to the public through the media, using state-of-the-art computer technology.

Other honorary graduates include Bob Galpin who is to be made an honorary fellow for his work with Southampton Business School.

Dame Helen Reeves, the Chief Executive of Victim Support, will be awarded a Doctorate of Law for her work with the victims of crime.

Gordon Denson, who holds a senior position with the Immigration Appeals Tribunal; Dame Elizabeth Neville, the deputy chief constable of Northamptonshire Police; Edward Dubois, a yacht designer and Clive Welsteed, the Institute's director of campus service, will all be honoured too.

An honorary Doctorate of education will be awarded posthumously to Dr Michael Higgins for his achievements in Higher Education. Dr Higgins died earlier this year.

BA Hons Journalism graduate Kristian Low will be awarded the Daily Echo's award for journalism.

Special Graduation Day editions of the Daily Echo have been produced for the graduates from Southampton Institute. Contact the Daily Echo's subscriptions administrator Peter Bullwinkle for your copy. Tel: 023 8042 4722 or email: peter.bullwinkle@soton-echo.co.uk