University recognises distinguished achievements with honorary degree awards
Achievements in medicine, science, law and education will be marked by the University of Southampton with the award of honorary degrees to leading figures in these fields, during its 2007 Graduation, which starts today.
The awards will be made at the University’s Graduation ceremonies, which run from Thursday 19 July, at the Highfield campus. Ceremonies will take place daily, alternately in the Turner Sims Concert Hall and the Nuffield Theatre, until Thursday 26 July.
The University's new Chancellor, Sir John Parker, who was recently appointed to the Prime Minister’s Business Council for Britain, will be presiding over his first Graduation ceremonies this year.
Those receiving honorary degrees are:
The Rt Hon Lord Ashburton
Doctor of the University
Lord Ashburton was a key figure in merchant banking in the City of London, serving as Managing Director of Baring Brothers for many years and then as Chairman of Barings plc between 1985 and 1989 and non-executive director until 1994. He was a Director of British Petroleum plc between 1982 and 1995 and Chairman from 1992 to 1995. Between 1974 and 1990 he was Lord Warden of the Stannaries of the Duchy of Cornwall and in 1994 he received the Order of the Garter. Lord Ashburton is a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire and High Steward of Winchester Cathedral. His association with the University goes back many years, and he was both a founding member and Chairman of the University’s Development Trust.
Professor Dame Carol M Black
Doctor of Science
The Government’s National Director for Health and Work, Professor Dame Carol Black has had a distinguished career in clinical academic medicine and was previously President of the Royal College of Physicians. She is Professor of Rheumatology at the Royal Free Hospital in London where her unit has become the major centre for clinical care and research in Europe and is internationally renowned. She is also Chair of the Nuffield Trust and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. In 2002 Dame Carol was awarded the CBE for her work in the field of rheumatology and connective tissue disorders and in 2005 she was awarded the DBE for her services to Medicine.
Professor Roger Brown
Doctor of the University
Professor Brown has made an outstanding contribution to the world of higher education over his long career. He became Vice-Chancellor of Southampton Solent University in July 2005 when Southampton Institute was granted University status: he had been Principal of the Institute since April 1998. Before taking up his post at Southampton Institute, Professor Brown held key roles in a number of higher education organisations including Chief Executive of the Higher Education Quality Council. As well as writing and lecturing frequently on higher education issues, he has published several books. He is currently on the board of the Higher Education Policy Institute and a member of the Learning and Skills Council for Hampshire.
Professor Sir David Cox
Doctor of Science
Sir David Cox has made an outstanding contribution to the field of statistics since the 1940s and is widely considered the foremost statistician of his age. He has made pioneering and important contributions to numerous areas of statistics and applied probability, an example of which is the proportional hazards model, which is widely used in the analysis of survival data. He is a former Warden (1988–94) and an honorary Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford; and a former President of the International Statistical Institute, and of the Royal Statistical Society.
Professor Sally Davies
Doctor of Medicine
Professor Sally C Davies is Director General of Research and Development for the Department of Health. Responsible for delivering the new government research strategy, Best Research for Best Health, Professor Davies has overseen the modernisation of the infrastructure and funding for clinical research in the NHS. She holds a personal Chair in Haemoglobinopathies at Imperial College, London, and her own research interests focus on sickle cell disease.
Stephen Hope
Master of Arts
Stephen Hope has made an outstanding contribution to teaching karate at the University of Southampton, and building the strong international reputation of the Southampton University KDS (Karate-Do-Shotokai) Club. His entirely voluntary coaching and leadership skills have inspired generations of Southampton students for over thirty years.
Mans Jacobsson
Doctor of Laws
Mans Jacobsson has been Director of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds for over twenty years. He has made an outstanding personal contribution towards the creation, administration and continuing reform of the world’s most important system for the compensation of marine pollution damage, and through this has had enormous influence on the international protection of the marine environment.
Peter T Jones
Doctor of the University
Born and raised in Southampton, Peter Jones is a director of Biffa Waste Services Ltd and has been a key figurehead in leading the UK Government's and the waste industry's strategy to meet the challenges of the Landfill Directive. Recognised nationally and internationally for his achievements in waste and resource management, Peter Jones has revolutionised thinking and practice in this field, and advised parliament on waste, sustainability, resource efficiency and other issues relating to future environmental challenges faced by society.
Peter Molyneux
Doctor of Science
Peter Molyneux is one of the UK's top entrepreneurs in the field of computer games. He has been behind many of the ground-breaking award-winning computer games of the last 15 years including Populous, Theme Park, Black & White and Fable. Cumulative sales of these games now top the 10 million mark. He is widely credited with helping to create and popularise the so-called god-game genre. His company Lionhead Studios is one of the leading and most innovative computer game design companies in the UK and was recently bought by Microsoft. He was awarded an OBE for services to the computer games industry in 2004.
Stephen Payne
Doctor of Science
Following a childhood passion, Stephen Payne has been involved with passenger shipping since 1985 when he joined Carnival Cruise Lines’ newbuild consultancy Technical Marine Planning Ltd. Since then he has been involved with each successive class of ship for Carnival and its associate companies. He is best known for his work in designing Queen Mary 2 and overseeing her construction. Stephen is a graduate of Ship Science from the University of Southampton, is President of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and presently leads the department of Naval Architecture and Safety within Carnival’s newbuilding group based in Southampton.
Lord Sainsbury of Turville
Doctor of Science
As Science Minister from 1998 to 2006, Lord Sainsbury has played a leading role in promoting the UK’s world-class science and innovation, and highlighting the new Knowledge Economy as being of central importance to the UK’s sustainable economic success. The former chairman of J Sainsbury plc, David Sainsbury became Lord Sainsbury of Turville in October 1997.
Richard Thomas
Doctor of Laws
Southampton alumnus Richard Thomas has been the Information Commissioner for the UK since December 2002 and has made an enormous contribution both to the promotion of good practice in data protection and to enabling access to government and other public data. He is the independent supervisory authority for the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Regulations 2004, and reports directly to the UK Parliament.
Dr Roger Urwin
Doctor of Science
Dr Roger Urwin was Group Chief Executive of National Grid between 2001 and the end of 2006 during which time he played a key role in establishing the company’s international strategy and led its successful expansion into the USA. Before joining the National Grid Group in 1995, Roger was Managing Director and Chief Executive of London Electricity between 1990 and 1995. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.