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Title
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University College of Fort Hare, Graduation Ceremony at Fort Hare on April 17th, 1959
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Alternative Title
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Rhodes University Graduation Ceremony 1959
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Creator
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Rhodes University
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Date
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1959/04/17
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Abstract
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This digitised archival document records the graduation ceremony of the University College of Fort Hare, held on Friday, 17 April 1959, under the auspices of Rhodes University. The three-page programme outlines the ceremonial proceedings, including the constitution of the congregation, prayers led by the Reverend Archdeacon H. P. Rolfe, the conferral of degrees, the presentation of graduands by faculty representatives, and an address by Dr A. Kerr. The programme documents the academic achievements of students completing qualifications during the 1958 academic year, listing graduates in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science with Honours programmes, alongside recipients of theological qualifications, the Advanced Diploma in Agriculture and the University Education Diploma. As detailed on pages 2–3, Bachelor of Arts graduates pursued a broad range of subjects, including English, history, politics, public administration, psychology, social anthropology, economics, geography, philosophy, systematic theology and African languages such as Xhosa, Zulu and Southern Sotho. Science graduates specialised in chemistry, botany, zoology, geography, mathematics and physics, with distinctions awarded in selected subjects. The programme also records distinctions in teaching practice and identifies graduates in absentia, preserving details of individual academic achievements. Page 1 includes the lyrics of Gaudeamus Igitur, Die Stem, God Save the Queen, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika, Morena Boloka and Amici, reflecting the multilingual and ceremonial traditions of the period. As a primary historical source, this document provides valuable evidence of Fort Hare's academic programmes, institutional traditions and relationship with Rhodes University during the apartheid era. It supports research into the history of higher education for Black South Africans, the development of African scholarship, and the biographical and genealogical histories of the graduates named in the programme.
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Subject
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Rhodes University
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Graduation ceremonies
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Academic ceremonies
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South African Native College
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Format
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application/pdf
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Language
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English
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Type
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text
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Extent
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3 pages
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Rights
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Rhodes University
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Is Part Of
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Rhodes University Graduation Programmes
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Fort Hare University Graduation Programmes
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Genre
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Graduation program
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Publisher
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Rhodes University, Office of the Registrar
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Location
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Cory Library and Archives
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Location - Shelf Locator
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Box 1, C3
