15 July 2010
Blades Chairman and former University Registrar to receive honorary degrees
Kevin McCabe, Chairman of Sheffield United Football Club, and Dr David Fletcher, former Registrar of the University of Sheffield will receive honorary degrees from the University next week (19-23 July 2010). They are among 10 recipients who will receive the accolade for their excellent contribution to their chosen fields and, or, significant personal achievements.
Kevin McCabe is the founding director and chairman of the Scarborough Group of Companies, one of the UK´s largest privately-owned investment, development and leisure corporations. He has been chairman of Sheffield United Football Club since 1999, with the ambition of turning the club into a property, business service and leisure company with football at its hub.
Dr David Fletcher has worked in the Higher Education sector for over thirty-seven years, initially at the University of Manchester, then at Loughborough as Registrar, and latterly at Sheffield as Registrar and Secretary. A graduate in Medieval and Modern History at the University of Sheffield, where he also read for a PhD in History, he oversaw a major redevelopment of the University estate and played a key role in improving the quality of governance in UK universities.
This year´s degree ceremonies will also see Sir Vincent Fean, the former ambassador to Libya and graduate of the University of Sheffield, receive a Doctor of Letters. Sir Vincent has enjoyed a distinguished career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, serving as Head of its Counter Terrorism Policy Department and will take up his next appointment – Her Majesty´s Consul General to Jerusalem – at the end of 2010.
Top names from the world of medicine and music will also be honoured. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council and a leading authority on infectious diseases, the immunology and pathogenesis of virus infection, and viral induced cancer. Later this year he will become Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. Sir Alfred Brendel, one of world´s most revered classical pianists will also receive a Doctor of Music. He is renowned for his ability to communicate the emotional and intellectual depths of the music he performs and is also a highly respected writer and speaker.
Other recipients to receive the honorary degrees include Richard Parker, Director of Research and Technology at Rolls-Royce, who will receive a Doctor of Engineering. He has been instrumental in developing a network of collaborative research centres with universities around the world, including Sheffield with its three University Technology Centres and its Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future. Professor Sheila Rowbotham, Simon Professor at the University of Manchester, will receive a Doctor of Letters. Professor Rowbotham is a pivotal figure in British socialist and feminist theory, with an extraordinary record of writing and social activism. Her early works paved the way for feminist thought and scholarship in this country.
Former graduates from the University will also be returning to the city for their awards. Professor John Wingfield, a Zoology graduate from the University who is renowned for his work in conservation biology and understanding how animals deal with global climate change, will receive a Doctor of Science. Professor John Knott, a graduate in Metallurgy at the University of Sheffield, whose work on engineering alloys has important implications for the aerospace and nuclear industries, will receive a Doctor of Engineering. Professor Vernon Gibson, one of this country´s most eminent inorganic chemists who graduated from the University in Chemistry, will also receive a Doctor of Science. Notes for Editors: Dr David Fletcher, Monday 19 July 2010, at 9.30am
Professor John Knott, Monday 19 July 2010, at 12 noon
Professor John Wingfield, Monday 19 July 2010 at 3.30 pm
Sir Vincent Fean, Tuesday 20 July 2010 at 12 noon
Professor Sheila Rowbotham, Tuesday 20 July 2010 at 3.30 pm
Professor Vernon Gibson, Thursday 22 July 2010 at 12 noon
Sir Alfred Brendel, Thursday 22 July 2010 at 3.30 pm
Mr Richard Parker, Friday 23 July 2010 at 12 noon
Mr Kevin McCabe, Friday 23 July 2010 at 12 noon
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Friday 23 July 2010 at 3.30 pm
For further information please contact: Lauren Anderson, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2221046 or email l.h.anderson@sheffield.ac.uk
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