Following annual tradition, diplomas were presented to students graduating from the Free University of Brussels, the VUB, on Brussels' historic Gothic market square. The VUB students first accepted their blue gowns at the Patricians' House. They then appeared on the balcony of Brussels city hall, after which the diplomas were handed out.
‘We want our master's graduates to become and remain ambassadors for our university and for everything the VUB stands for, and of course also for the city of Brussels,’ says VUB rector Jan Danckaert.
Ceremonies on the Grote Mark will last all week. In coming days, students from the Francophone Free ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles), the HEFF (Haute École Francisco Ferrer) and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts will also have graduation ceremonies on Brussels' market square. In total, some 5,000 diplomas will be handed out.
‘The week of proclamations is an emotional moment that undeniably positions Brussels as a pole of knowledge,’ says Philippe Close, the Mayor of the City of Brussels (Francophone socialist). ‘By welcoming these thousands of students on one of Europe's most beautiful squares we are also celebrating their knowledge.’
For the occasion, all week Manneken Pis too is also kitted out in a university toga.
