I have now attended 10 degree ceremonies this week, two as president, one as presenter (on behalf of City College, Thessaloniki) and the others as a spectator on the front row.  The student composition varies hugely between ceremonies - some with larghe numbers of overseas students present, others with none; some with a majority of women, others with a majority of men.

This morning I presided at the ceremony at which, among other groups, the modern linguists graduated.  Something I observed is that we are starting to see a number of UK students from ethnic minority background studying modern European languages.  I find this very interesting, because it contrasts with certain other Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences disciplines.  The very first ceremony this week involved History students, and I don't believe there was a single graduand from a visible ethnic minority.  Similarly on Tuesday I presided at the ceremony for students from East Asian Studies, Sociological Studies and Geography. There was a tiny smattering of non-white faces in Sociology but, I think, only two in Geography.

Why do certain subjects which have a global reach (for example History and Geography) not attract students from ethnic minority backgrounds?  I would be interested to know what the position is at other universities.  I know there is a strong tradition of research and teaching in Black History - is it that students from ethnic minority backgrounds choose to go only to departments with this as a strength?  Is that something that we should be concerned about?  Is geography still seen as an imperialist subject by black and other ethnic minority students?  I don't know the answers to these questions, but I think they are worth posing.  I would welcome comments added to this post.

As a university we are very proud of our diversity.  But in reality at departmental level it sometimes does not show itself.  This year we did see the graduation of some male speech therapists, but I remember years in which that has been an all-female department.  The number of male nurses is small.  Males are still in a significant majority in all the Engineering departments, although the numbers of females seem to me to be rising.  If you want to find a British Asian student look at Dentistry where there are particular concentrations.

Widening participation is generally viewed in terms of the attempt to draw more students from socio-economic groups and neighbourhoods that do not normally send students to university (and I have blogged earlier this week about looked after children).  But perhaps in some departments there are other dimensions relating to the diversity of students that ought to move up the agenda.