University agrees to spend £150,000 on seven chairs

Plymouth University has agreed to spend £150,000 on seven chairs for graduation ceremonies, it is understood.

The university's senior management team commissioned the handcrafted chairs by furniture designer John Makepeace. However, the university's PR department have warned this could cause reputational damage.



Professor David Coslett, deputy vice chancellor, said the university hoped to pay for the chairs through "private donations and charitable foundations". Prof Coslett said Plymouth University's annual graduation week attracted more than 25,000 students and guests and injected about £700,000 into the city's economy.

"The planned commissioning of new graduation furniture is the next stage in the development of our graduation ceremonies," he said. The design and cost of the chairs are yet to be confirmed, but sources have said the project is due to cost more than £150,000.