THE possibility of extending the teaching year at Aberdeen University

was raised again yesterday by the principal, Professor George McNicol,

addressing a graduation ceremony.

The proposal for a 40-week instead of a 30-week year aroused

considerable opposition when it was first mooted by the principal in

1987, when the university was considering ways of overcoming a serious

financial crisis.

It was turned down by the Senate and not included in the institutional

plan submitted to the University Funding Council.

However, Professor McNicol told graduates yesterday that the

introduction of two-year Scottish Highers, together with changes in the

fee structure and the introduction of student loans, would cast grave

doubts on the long-term future of the traditional four-year honours

degrees in arts and science.

''It may well be that in the next year or two it will be worthwhile

for the university to re-examine the possibility of extending the

teaching year,'' said the principal.

The final institutional plan had been submitted to the UFC last month

and he was delighted to say that Sir Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, chief

executive of the UFC, had now told the university it was an acceptable

basis for the agreed funding for 1991-92.

Sir Peter had said that references in the plan to developing new

initiatives provided considerable grounds for optimism about the

university's future prospects.

Contrary to some press comments Sir Peter had been a good friend to

the university and no doubt, in large measure, had persuaded the

University Grants Committee to give Aberdeen special transitional

funding to help it through a difficult period of readjustment to a lower

level of income.

The following graduated at two ceremonies yesterday:

FACULTY of SCIENCE

DOCTOR OF SCIENCE

R. I. L. Smith, B.Sc., Ph.D. ; K. MacKenzie, B.Sc.; Ph.D.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

N. M. Abbott, B.Sc.; S. Macfarlane Allison, B.Sc., A. G. Bengough,

B.Sc.; Xue Bin Chen, B.Sc.; Katherine M. Farr, B.A., M.A.; R. J.

Forsyth, B.Sc., Mubarak A. G. Shammari, B.Sc.; M.Sc.; Saudi Arabia, A.

J. C. Hogg, B.A.; M.Sc; B. C. Kneller, B.Sc.; Rachel M. Knott, B.Sc.;

M.Sc.; Janet M. Liversidge; B.Sc., Karen J. McCurrach, B.Sc.; Heather M.

Peacock, B.Sc., R. G. P. Pugh-Humphreys, B.Sc.; W. B. Reid, B.Sc., H.

Sanyi, B.Sc., M.Sc.; Iraq, S. Sharma, B.Sc.; Oonah J. Taylor, B.Sc.,

Shona K. Whyte, B.Sc.; D. O. Williams, B.Sc.

MASTER OF SCIENCE

Olwyn D. Byron, B.Sc., Claire-Louise Chapple, B.A.; D. Clapperton,

B.Sc., D. A. Cogswell, B.Sc.; Irene Gow, B.Sc., Pauline J. Graham,

B.Sc., A. S. Harwood, B.Sc.; H. M. A. Heba, B.Sc., Philip Richard

Hodgson, B.Sc., Heather James, B.Sc.; A. N. K. Johnson, B.Sc., G. C.

Kendall, B.Sc.; Hazel M. McCallum, B.Sc., Peadar F. McKevitt, B.Sc.; G.

MacLure, B.Sc., Anya McNiven, B.Sc., I. C. Munro, B.Sc.; Linda A. Noble,

B.Sc.; S. Regassa, B.Sc.; C. J. Southcombe, B.A., Amanda J. Watson,

B.Sc., C. J. Wiggins, B.Sc., W. L. Wilson, B.Sc.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

Designated degrees: M. Anness; G. I. W. Ballingall, Julie Braes; W. A.

Christie, M. Cook, I. Duguid, A. K. McKay, W. N. Murray; Patricia E. J.

O'Neill, I. D. Tyson.

Ordinary degrees: Melissa A. Bird, S. J. Bladon, M. J. Jamieson, A. M.

Knox, Kristy P. Y. Lee; G. M. Lindsay, K. T. MacFadyen, Barbara M. L.

McLean, Leon R. Maciocia, Heather C. Robertson, Suzanne M. Rourke, Karen

P. Smith, Carol A. Sullivan.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN AGRICULTURE

Honours Degrees

Agricultural Economics

Rachel N. Ekindesone; S. B. MacGregor, K. R. Murray, Estella T. Tebo.

Animal Science

Jennifer F. Bell, D. M. Corbett; J. S. Kemp, Rhona E. Urquhart.

Crop Science

Joanna Aitchison, D. N. Chalmers, Nicola C. Currie, G. C. Hunter, R.

K. Lilley, Anne Middleton; Elizabeth P. Scott, D. A. Sinclair.

General Agriculture

G. A. Baikie, D. A. Barrie, A. G. Crompton, Mandy Cunninghame, Joanne

E. Davidson, H. Farmer, D. A. Fraser, J. Macdonald, Morag A. Michie,

Soren M. O'Reilly, K. T. Spalding, I. J. Wilson.

Designated Degrees: F. H. Carson, Catherine S. Gordon, Sheena C.

Hunter, A. D. Johnston, Karen A. Woodward.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

IN FORESTRY

Honours Degrees

First class: D. R. Stone.

M. J. Brown; A. F. Bruce; G. P. Chalmers; S. P. Collins; Jacqueline V.

Cumberbirch; A. J. Drysdale; R. A. Dunham; J. J. Green; B. A. F. Kapila;

Elspeth C. Macdonald; Marianne Maceachern; S. MacRae; B. Middleton; I.

Rowley; A. G. Sneddon; L. Stenzel; J. J. Swift; R. J. Watt; M. P.

Watters.

Designated degrees: R. G. W. Anderson; R. A. Mavor; R. P. Nicholson;

B.Sc.

Ordinary degree: J. A. MacKay.

FACULTY OF LAW

BACHELOR OF LAND

ECONOMY

Honours Degrees

First class: G. Young.

Shuraiya Abdul Rahman; Fazidah Amir; F. M. Azmi; Donna Grieve; Susan

J. Moore; I. F. Nicol; Katherine M. Stirrat; Rachel D. Struth; N. Umar.

Ordinary degrees: S. C. Beveridge; M. H. Coleman; Jennifer J.

Donaldson; Nicola R. Frail; Kathryn J. Gordon; Kwok Kwong Ip; Yuet Sim

Kong; Wong Wing Lam; Chi Ho Li; Choi Tak Albert Ling; Tin Sang Mak; A.

S. Mehta; N. D. Miller; S. A. Simpson; M. B. Watt; Chor Nam Yu.

HONORARY DEGREES

DOCTOR OF DIVINITY

The Rt. Rev. Mario Joseph Conti, L.Ph., L.S.Th.;

DOCTOR OF LAWS

Madame Justice Bertha Wilson.

FACULTY OF

ENGINEERING

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

B. J. Bain B.Sc.; N. Hunt; B.Sc.

MASTER OF SCIENCE

Kuok-Wei Lee B.Sc.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

IN ENGINEERING

Honours degrees -- First class: H. F. Addison; G. F. Anderson; J. M.

Bowie; S. M. Brooke; C. A. Howie; Tham Wai Keun; Tan Cheng Kok; S. J.

Tait; Thangavel Thevar; A. S. Willis; Teo Kiat Yong; Ng Chan Yue.

Azhar Abdul Aziz; G. B. Aliman; P. A. Barber, J. F. Blacklaws, D. W.

Bruce, Lee Choon Chail Malaysia, A. B. Chalmers, P. T. B. Chee; Pak Soon

Chong; G. Conway; G. R. Couper, I. D. J. Cowie, Y. B. Daud; G. R.

Dunbar, C. C. R. Dunlop, J. A. Easson, D. J. Forrest, G. I. Fraser,

Diane J. Gonsalves; Helen V. Gray; J. C. Grieve, Ng Hock Heng; Kai Pong

Ho; Phang Chang Huei; Lee Joon Kion; Tong Kok Kwang; S. A. Kyle; M.

Seng-Onn Lam; J. Lau, Goh Ban Lay; Goh Keat Lee; Eu Poh Leng; D. S.

Macartney, A. M. B. McCulloch; L. McKittrick; A. J. Macleay, K. A. M.

Noh; A. Z. M. Salleh; J. Mortimer, J. E. Moule, Elizabeth M. Murphy, A.

J. Nicholls, Gim Hwee Ong; L. B. Ord, A. G. Reid, S. M. Reilly, G. A.

Ross, A. A. Ryder; Sazally Saidi; J. M. I. Shafi; A. G. Simpson, M.

Smith, C. J. R. Stevens; A. D. Tait , Thia Yong Tong; Quang Tien Tran;

Quang Toan Tran; I. G. Urquhart, D. J. Vass, Sharron Ward, Lee Jin Yong;

S. L. Zollet.

Ordinary Degrees: E. Blackhall, Yung Yiu Cheong; Check Kuan Keith

Chin, Elie Samir Diab; Lim Gek Beng Henry; A. Ismail; Kum Kuan Khaw;

Chang Gwee Lin; S. Mair, Choi Wai Man; A. T. Morris, Mathi Balan N G

Rajaretnam; P. A. Orr; Amiruddin Sahudi; Zakaria Suboh; Mohd Idris

Talib; T. Wardlaw .

FACULTY OF LAW

MASTER OF LAWS

A. M. Chinhengo, B.L.; T. G. Michelet.

BACHELOR OF LAWS

Honours degrees -- First class: Janice McKinnon Gordon, D. Rodgers.

June C. Blackman; Johna R. Bowman, Gail A. Clarke, A. D. Cook, D. J.

Currie, Jane A. Dumayne, Morag Ferguson, A. G. A. Finlayson, A. C.

Forsyth, A. R. Fyfe, Anne I. G. Hall, Katharine H. Hardie, S. A. Harper,

Debra M. Headrick, Judith Hetherington, D. W. A. Hughes, D. W. Hughes,

G. J. Kelly, Katrina R. Kelly, Rebecca J. Kitchingham; W. Lawrence, D.

McEwing, S. M. MacFarlane, D. M. McGillivray, Alison J. McKay, M. A.

Macleod, D. McNaughton, Anya L. Mathewson, Fiona J. Mathieson, P. G.

Milligan, Fiona E. A. Owens, T. M. Pitt, M. M. Prescott, C. K. Sandison,

Juliet L. Sinclair, Lynne A. Steward, M. F. Walsh, Nicola A. Watson, S.

Macpherson Watt, A. J. S. Waugh.

Distinction Degrees: N. Cummings, G. E. Jones.

Commendation Degree: Karen Liney.

Ordinary Degree; P. Mackintosh Aikman, M. K. Ait-Hocine, Alison L.

Baxter, G. M. Bone, Annalisa Brown, Lynne M. J. Calder, Laura E.

Cameron, S. P. P. Campbell; Rosemary H. Carrick-Anderson, J. G.

Cavanagh, Catriona M. C. Cook, W. P. Cowie, Jacquelynn F. Craw, Elaine

D. Dalgarno, K. W. A. Davidson, C. S. Deane, Sven Marek Deregowski,

Christina Donald, M. M. Dunbar, W. A. Ettles, Karen, A. Fawns, D. G.

Forbes, M. H. Gall, R. G. Goddard, Lisa G. Gray, A. M. S. Green;

Catherine Howitt, Ceri Hughes, M. A. Inkster, Janet I. Irving, Susan L.

Irving, R. S. Jones, Dev Kapadia; D. Kelly, A. B. Laird, W. H. Law, E.

J. Macaulay, N. A. MacBeath, I. M. McCelland, N. R. McCluskey, Lindsay

M. MacDonald, Elaine C. McElroy, D. S. Mackenzie, J. S. McLaren, G. J.

McMillan, J. T. L. Main, Linda M. Masters, D. N. G. Mortimer, I. W.

Nicol, C. D. Noble, I. M. Paterson, K. S. Paterson, Kim S. Pattullo, R.

Pilkington, G. S. Primrose, Jane A. Reid, Julie L. Reilly,d Michele L.

Renton, N. B. Robb, Wendy A. Sheehan, M. T. Sinclair, I. Woodward-Nutt.