Keele Honorary Degrees 2014
BAFTA Award winning Keele graduate Jamie Aitchison is among nine people who will be awarded Honorary Degrees by the University during this summer's graduation ceremonies. They are key figures who have made a major impact, with significant work over many years in health, science, research, the local community, education, business, journalism and the trade union movement. The awards will be presented at ceremonies in the University Chapel on July 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th.
Jamie will be awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University. As commissioning Editor for Sport for Channel 4, with his production team, he won the Sport and Live Event BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award in 2013 for their edgy and innovative coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Other honorary award recipients are:
Martha Lane Fox – Doctor of the University - was co-founder of Lastminute.com, the online travel and gift business. In 2012, she launched Go ON UK, a charity focused on making the UK the world's most digitally skilled nation. Martha Lane Fox currently chairs the Go ON UK board.
BBC Radio Stoke sports broadcaster, Nigel Johnson, will be awarded an Honorary Degree of Master of the University for his 45 years as a sports broadcaster, having carried out nearly 2,000 match commentaries; his work with the Sir Stanley Matthews Foundation and his efforts in helping to raise the money for the Stanley Matthews statue at the Britannia Stadium.
Professor Lisa Jardine - Doctor of Letters. Professor Jardine CBE is a British historian of the early modern period. She is a polymath: her contributions to knowledge extend well beyond the Humanities: she is, for instance, the inaugural director of UCL’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in the Humanities, was formerly Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, and President of the British Science Association.
Professor Pradeep Mathur - Doctor of Science. Professor Mathur is a distinguished alumnus of Keele and, in addition, in his role as the Director of IIT (Indore) has chosen Keele to be his preferred partner in developing IIT (Indore) into a world leading Biomedical Research Centre.
Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the TUC - Doctor of the University. She has been an active trade unionist and campaigner all her working life. Before joining the TUC, Frances worked for the Transport and General Workers Union (now part of UNITE). In January 2013 Frances became the General Secretary of the TUC, the first woman ever to hold this post.
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown - Doctor of the University. A journalist on the New Statesman magazine in the early 1980s, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown now contributes a weekly column to The Independent.She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek and the Daily Mail, and has appeared on the current affairs TV shows Dateline London and The Wright Stuff. Alibhai-Brown has won numerous awards for her journalism.
Professor Richard Lilford - Doctor of Science - is Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Vice-Dean for Applied Health Research and Director of Primary Care Clinical Trials at the University of Birmingham. Formerly a consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Professor Lilford directs the West Midlands CLAHRC, holds many other NIHR, Charity, Research Council and EU grants and is Chief Investigator on grants from EPSRC, HTA programme and Health Foundation.
Keith Harrison, Doctor of the University, in recognition of being a role model for Keele students, especially those in involved in sports, his contribution to the creation of the annual Varsity competition and his support for local charities, especially the Donna Louise Trust and Caudwell’s Children’s Trust. Silverdale-born Keith joined the National Coal Board at the age of 15, working underground at 16, but left to embark on a distinguished career with the RAF, Staffordshire Police, the Royalty Protection team and the British Army.