"Big massive party": preparing the grounds for graduation

14 Jul 2026

Every year in the lead up to graduation, teams come together to make sure campus is ready for our graduates and their guests.

Rylan Higgins, Foreperson in our Environmental Services team, recently shared what goes into preparing the grounds, from ordering plants months in advance to the final push the week before ceremonies begin.

"We order all the plants in for the graduation hall and put on a display, both the summer one and the winter one," he said. "We polish our pots, take them all up the Friday before, then we're in every day watering them, making sure everything's nice and tidy, no weeds anywhere."

The planning starts long before most colleagues notice campus looking different.

"We've already ordered the plants for the winter one, because a lot of universities are doing the same thing, so we want to be ready and get in early."

Rylan says seeing the results matters more than people might expect.

"I get shown a lot of pictures from my friends, 'is this where you work?' And it's always the borders looking nice, or the plants, or graduation itself with all the plants inside. It makes me feel pretty happy. Makes me feel seen."

And his take on the day itself...

"Big massive party. That's how I see it!"

Watch the video
Hear Rylan Higgins on what it takes to prepare our campus for graduation, and why, for him, it's about more than the plants.