Student stories across 50 years of OU degree ceremonies

The Open University marks a historic milestone in 2024, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our first ever degree ceremony in Scotland. Louise Davison from the OU shares how it's being commemorated with students from across the decades sharing their stories.

The first Open University (OU) ceremony in Scotland took place at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh in 1974 (shown in our celebratory video below). At that ceremony 270 graduates crossed the stage. Fast forward to 2024 and 660 graduates crossed the stage at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, with the OU boasting over 200,000 alumni across Scotland.

We’re celebrating with a range of OU student stories from the past five decades. They illustrate how we have remained committed to our values of innovation and responsiveness - from home science kits to award-winning online laboratories - and to inclusivity, with our life-changing open access ethos.

1970s

Studying with the OU in Scotland in the 1970s set Anni Donaldson on a new path that would transform both her personal and working life.

Dropping out of university in her late teens, the OU gave Anni the confidence to pursue a new career path that would eventually lead to her becoming an academic. She says:

“My story resembled the film Educating Rita, which was around at that time; my husband was a very controlling man and was not happy about my studies.

“I saw my studies as a possible pathway to a career and financial independence for myself and my daughter.”

1980s

After leaving school aged 15, the OU in Scotland gave Susan Taylor the opportunity to prove to herself and others that she was more intelligent and capable than her blank school results sheet showed when she returned to studying in the 1980s. She says:

“I was the first person in my family to get a degree, and my parents were so proud. I am so proud of my achievement, and grateful for the opportunity to achieve my goal with the OU.”

“Thinking back on it, it is amazing how much has changed…I used to have to stay up late some nights for OU TV programmes because I didn’t have a recorder.”

1990s

Studying with the OU in Scotland in the 1990s to progress his nursing career, Tom Gibb has come full circle and is now supporting a new generation of students as an Associate Lecturer with the university.

Something that has changed since he first studied is the technological developments that have “increased accessibility and completion opportunities for students, as well as benefiting lecturers.”

The postal service even delivered a huge experiment kit for a science module, of which he jokes:

“My wife just loved the messy chemistry experiments on our dining table!”

2000s and 2010s

Looking for intellectual stimulation after having a baby in the 2000s, the OU in Scotland set Moira Hansen on a new path that’s fuelled a passion for literature and teaching. She explains:

“OU study started as a way of giving me something else that wasn't Teletubbies or conversations about nap schedules and weaning, but it reignited my love of literature.”

Moira gained an OU undergraduate degree in the 2000s, and an OU postgraduate degree in the 2010s, using them as a platform to study to become a secondary school teacher.

Interviewers said Moira’s Open University qualifications “showed commitment, drive, organisation, resilience – all essential qualities for a teacher.”

2020s

When Charlotte Lopez was looking to embark on a degree to unlock future career options in the 2020s, she searched for a solution that would fit around her work as a professional dancer. She says:

“After I left school, I trained to be a dancer and secured a role as a dancer on a cruise ship. It was an exciting and adventurous job that took me all over the world, but I wanted to guarantee my future in the industry beyond working in entertainment.”

The Open University was the right option for Charlotte to continue working alongside her studies.

OU study has also been a big part of her family life, with her grandmother, grandfather and mother all having gained degrees through The Open University.

7 November 2024