No 6812
Wednesday 28 January 2026
Vol clvi No 17
pp. 273–305
30 January, Friday. Congregation of the Regent House at 2 p.m. (degrees in absence only).
13 February, Friday. Lent Term divides.
17 February, Tuesday. Discussion by videoconference at 2 p.m.
22 February, Sunday. Preacher before the University at 11.30 a.m., Professor Robin Osborne, Fellow of King’s College, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History (Hulsean Preacher).
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Discussions (Tuesdays at 2 p.m.) |
Congregations (at 10 a.m. unless otherwise stated) |
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17 February 17 March |
30 January, 2 p.m. (degrees in absence only) 28 February 16 March, 2.45 p.m. (ceremonial installation of the Chancellor) 28 March 11 April |
Further to her Notice of 2 December 2025 (Reporter, 6806, 2025–26, p. 129) and in accordance with Special Ordinance A (ii) 2(a), the Vice‑Chancellor informs members of the University that an additional Congregation will take place on Monday, 16 March 2026 at 2.45 p.m. This will be for the formal installation of the Chancellor, The Right Honourable Lord Smith of Finsbury, M.A., Ph.D., Honorary Fellow and former Master of Pembroke College. Music will be performed in honour of the Chancellor.
Ticket-holders who are not processing will need to be in their places in the Senate-House no later than 2.30 p.m. If the weather is dry, the first of two processions listed below will form in the Schools Arcade at 2.35 p.m. Those in the categories listed beneath who wish to take part in the first procession must give notice of their intention, and processional tickets will be issued to them up to the number of places available. If the weather is wet, the first procession will not take place and those in this procession will be requested to take their seats in the Senate-House upon arrival. The second procession will form shortly before 2.40 p.m. The Congregation will end by about 3.30 p.m. There will be a small, private reception afterwards, but due to restrictions on space this will be by separate invitation.
Members of the University attending the Congregation wear academical dress in accordance with the relevant regulations. 16 March 2026 will be a ‘Scarlet Day’, so Cambridge Doctors are requested to wear their festal gowns. All graduates are invited to wear hoods if they have them and undergraduates should wear their gowns. In accordance with Regulation 4 of the General Regulations for Academical Dress (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 178), any member of the University (other than the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, High Steward, Deputy High Steward, Commissary, Proctors, Registrary, or Esquire Bedells) who is a graduate of another university or degree-awarding institution, may, on this occasion, wear the academical dress appropriate to that degree.
Admission to the Senate-House and Yard will be by ticket only and entry to the Yard on this occasion will be by the South‑East Gate, from King’s Parade.
All members and all staff (including retired staff) of both the University and the Colleges are invited to apply for tickets. To encourage wider participation from within the University, applications for guest tickets will not be accepted.
Applications for tickets should be made online at https://eur.cvent.me/rMrbqQ. Those who are not able to apply online should please write to: Chancellor’s Installation, The Vice-Chancellor’s Office, The Old Schools, Cambridge, CB2 1TN. Queries may be sent to vcevents@admin.cam.ac.uk. Applications must be made not later than 15 February 2026 and cannot be made in person or by telephone.
Applicants will understand that there may be more applications than places that are available. In that case a ballot will be used to allocate tickets and all applications received by the closing date will be included in the ballot. Successful applications will be acknowledged by Monday, 2 March 2026.
Successful applicants who then find that they cannot use their tickets are asked to return them so that their seats may be offered to others. Tickets are not transferable.
Further details of the arrangements will be included with the tickets. Those in the classes specified below, who wish to take part in the procession, should state this clearly in their applications. Processional tickets will be issued up to the number of places available to seat the procession. Only Cambridge Professors/Clinical Professors at Grade 12 or Cambridge Higher Doctors are eligible to process as Professors or Doctors.
Having consulted the Proctors, the Vice-Chancellor has prescribed the following special orders of procession before this Congregation.
Those listed below (who have tickets to admit them to the procession, as specified above) assemble in the Schools Arcade no later than 2.35 p.m. (Entering by the South-East Gate from King’s Parade).
The Vice-Marshal
Heads of Colleges
The Regius Professors of Divinity, Civil Law, Physic, Hebrew, Greek, History, Botany and Engineering
Professors/Clinical Professors at Grade 12 who are Doctors of Divinity, Law, Medicine (if conferred before 2014), Medical Science, Science, Letters or Music
Doctors of Divinity, Law, Medicine (if conferred before 2014), Medical Science, Science, Letters or Music
The Librarian
Other Professors/Clinical Professors at Grade 12 who are not Doctors as mentioned above and the Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum
Members of the Council
The Pro-Proctors
A second procession of the Chancellor, led by the Esquire Bedells, accompanied by the Vice-Chancellor, and followed by the other Principal University Officers, will then proceed immediately after the first.
After the Congregation has been dissolved, the Chancellor will leave in procession with the Principal University Officers and certain Civic Guests.
The Combination Room will be closed from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 4 February 2026 for an event.