Crawford School of Public Policy

This week, Crawford School will say farewell and best wishes to 138 graduating students embarking on a new chapter in their lives.

The graduates include 97 Crawford graduate studies students, 25 National Security College students and 16 PhD Scholars. This year, due to COVID-19, they will be graduating in absentia.

Crawford School Director Professor Helen Sullivan said she is delighted for the graduates and emphasised that finishing a degree in times of COVID-19 is no mean feat.

“Congratulations to all our graduates on finishing their studies with us. We’re so, so proud of them. We hope they’re equally proud of themselves.

“Completing your studies is a major achievement at the best of times. Finishing your program under the current circumstances - clearly not the best of times - is all the more impressive.”

Normally, Crawford School would be looking forward to celebrating together at our special post-graduation ceremony party. Professor Sullivan said that not being able to do that this semester is extremely disappointing for all of us.

“No doubt this isn’t the graduation the students imagined when they started here with us. And it certainly isn’t the graduation we had imagined for them.”

She added that although their time at the University is coming to an end, graduation should not mark the end of their relationship with their classmates or the school. “As they move into new roles, leave Canberra, leave the country, we encourage them to make sure they keep in touch with us and with their classmates. The people they’ve met during your studies may have different views to you, they may think differently from you and value different things, but you’re now part of a shared mission – to respond better to our public policy challenges.

“Thank you to all of them for the contributions they have made to our School – they won’t be forgotten – and congratulations on their fabulous achievements.”