FUTO 28TH CONVOCATION ANNOUNCED

FUTO 28TH CONVOCATION ANNOUNCED

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chigozie C. Asiabaka on behalf of the Council and Senate, Cordially invites Graduands, University Community and the General Public to the 28^TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY of the Federal University Of Technology, Owerri.

PROGRAMME OF EVENTS FOR THE 28^TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY
1.  Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Vice-Chancellor’s Pre-Convocation Press Briefing
Venue:     Council/Senate Chamber, FUTO
Time:       10.00 a.m.

2.  Wednesday, December 02, 2015
Ecumenical Service
Venue:     Hall of Excellence, FUTO
Time:       10.00 a.m.

3.  (a)   Thursday, December 03, 2015
Tree-Planting at Selected Sites in FUTO
Time:        10.00 a.m.
(b)   Convocation Lecture      
Venue:     Hall of Excellence, FUTO
Time:       12.30 p.m.
(c)   Chancellors’ Cocktail/Alumni Night
Venue:     De Legend Hotels, Owerri
Time:       7.00 p.m.

4.  Saturday, December 05, 2015
(a)        Inspection and Commissioning of Projects in FUTO by the Visitor
Time:        10.00 a.m.
(b)        Installation of the new Chancellor of FUTO, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, Ph.D, CFR, the Lamido of Adamawa.
Venue:     Convocation Arena, FUTO
Time:       11.00 a.m.
(c)      Admission to first Degrees, Higher Degrees, Postgraduate Diploma, Award of Prizes and Conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees
Venue:     Convocation Arena, FUTO
Time:       11.00 a.m.
FUTO 28TH CONVOCATION ANNOUNCED 
A LITTLE BACKGROUND HISTORY ON CONVOCATIONS
n some universities, the term “convocation” refers specifically to the entirety of the alumni of a college which functions as one of the university’s representative bodies. Due to its inordinate size, the Convocation will elect a standing committee, which is responsible for making representations concerning the views of the alumni to the university administration. The convocation also, however, can hold general meetings, at which any alumnus can attend. The main function of the convocation is to represent the views of the alumni to the university administration, to encourage co-operation among alumni, especially in regard to donations, and to elect members of the University’s governing body (known variously as the Senate, Council, Board, etc., depending on the particular institution, but basically equivalent to a board of directors of a corporation). The equivalent of the Convocation in the Scottish university system is the General Council.
FUTO 28TH CONVOCATION ANNOUNCED 
In the University of Oxford, Convocation was originally the main governing body of the University, consisting of all doctors and masters of the University, but it now comprises all graduates of the university and its only remaining function is to elect the Chancellor of the University and the Professor of Poetry. The equivalent body at Cambridge is the Senate.
At Durham University, Convocation consists of all the graduates of the University along with the Chancellor, Vice,-Chancellor, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the Pro-Vice-Chancellors, the heads of colleges, and all professors, readers, senior lecturers and lecturers. It has the power to discuss and make representations on “any matter whatsoever relating to the University” and appoints the Chancellor of the University, most recently Sir Thomas Allen on 11 October 2011. Convocation was established by the fundamental statue of the University in 1835 and then consisted of MAs and doctors “of the three faculties” at Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin who were members of the University when the statue was passed and those afterwards admitted to the degrees of DD, DCL, MD or MS at Durham.  Women were admitted to Convocation from 1913