Honorary degrees and fellowships

You can submit a nomination for honorary awards at any time of the year. Successful nominees will be awarded their degrees at the next available graduation ceremony that they are able to attend.

For full information on how to nominate someone and the requirements of a nominee please see the Honorary Conferments Committee website if you are a member of staff, student, chancellor, or governor of the University.

Alumni are asked to contact Jan Taylor: janice.taylor@brookes.ac.uk.

How to nominate

What is an honorary degree?

An honorary degree is one of Higher Education’s most significant accolades. The University is pleased to confer honorary degrees on individuals of conspicuous merit as part of an ongoing relationship with that individual. The regulations for the award of honorary degrees are designed to encourage applications from the widest possible field of candidates who have made an outstanding contribution in a relevant context and who will develop a lasting relationship with the University.

Honorary degrees are conferred on individuals at some of our graduation ceremonies. These are chosen carefully and with consideration for how their particular strengths link in to the work of the University and the conferment of the degree allows Oxford Brookes to acknowledge those whom we admire and respect, it also ensures that our students who hear an Honorary Graduate speak are sent off with a final reminder of what can be achieved in and around their respective fields.

We look forward, wherever possible, to continuing our relationship with our honorary graduates and our honorary fellows.

The University’s normal honorary degree is an honorary doctorate, though other awards are available in appropriate circumstances. The decision to confer an honorary award, and the type of award which is conferred, is made by the Honorary Conferments Committee on behalf of Academic Board. The Honorary Conferments Committee is a joint committee of the Academic Board and the Board of Governors. The Committee's recommendations will include the precise title of the degree to be conferred from the list of honorary degrees in the University's Academic Regulations (Section 2.2.5).

Who to nominate

All nominations are encouraged, in particular, nominations for individuals from faith communities, the voluntary sector, those that reflect the ethnic, cultural and international diversity of the University, as well as nominations which promote the University’s values including its commitment to gender equality and equal opportunities. Nominees will be considered equally against the criteria set out in the regulations for the award of honorary degrees.

FAQs

Who can nominate

All staff (including those employed directly and contracted, e.g. cleaning, catering, security staff, etc), students (including ACP, Transactional Partners, Apprentices etc), alumni, governors, and the Chancellor are eligible to make nominations throughout the year for honorary degrees to be presented at the graduation ceremonies in the Spring or Autumn.

Confidentiality

It is important that a high level of confidentiality be maintained from the beginning of the process of nomination, through to the point at which a decision is reached and the successful candidates have been invited to receive their award by the Vice-Chancellor and have accepted.

It would be a major embarrassment if a nominee was made aware of their nomination and was then subsequently unsuccessful. Equally it would be embarrassing for the University if there was disclosure in the public domain prior to the successful nominees receiving official notification from the Vice-Chancellor.

Requirements for nominees

To be successful, your nominee should demonstrate one or more of the following:

substantial and significant achievements either nationally or internationally, in a relevant field (a subject area taught or researched in the University)
an outstanding contribution to national and/or international life in any way
distinguished service to the University, in any capacity, over a long period of time
an active and influential role in enhancing the provision of education in the UK or abroad
the ability to contribute to the future aims, strategies and development of the University, eg by enhancing its reputation
be an Oxford Brookes alumni who has achieved distinction in the academic, public service, industrial, commercial, artistic, cultural or sporting fields
an example worthy as a role model to students.

In addition, nominees must demonstrate their relevance to the work of Oxford Brookes, for example a close alignment with our guiding principles and strategic objectives or an active engagement in the business of the University.

You must not nominate someone with whom you have a close personal relationship. For example, a relative, partner or spouse.

Nominations from individuals with a conflict of interest will not normally be accepted.

How to nominate

For full information on how to nominate someone and the requirements of a nominee, please see the Honorary Conferments Committee Google site if you are a member of staff, student, chancellor, or governor of the University.

Alumni are asked to contact Jan Taylor: janice.taylor@brookes.ac.uk

History of honorary awards

In 1986, the former Oxford Polytechnic awarded its first honorary degree. The recipient was the late Olive Gibbs, twice Lord Mayor of Oxford and a long-standing supporter of our institution.

Over the next few years, the Polytechnic continued to confer the occasional honorary award, generally in acknowledgment of past service given to the institution, whether as a member of staff or a governor or as an individual whose work and support had contributed to the growth of the institution.

The regular practice of conferring honorary degrees and fellowships at our annual awards ceremonies was introduced in 1993, in the wake of the institution gaining university status.

Since then Oxford Brookes University has conferred many honorary awards on a diverse range of individuals from the worlds of science and technology, medicine and health care, art, academia, industry, entertainment, voluntary work and many other fields.

In some cases, the award was conferred on retirement or towards the end of a distinguished career; in others it acknowledged a remarkable display of youthful genius and more recently the awards have been given to some who continue to contribute to their field of expertise and to the work of the University.

In many cases, the recipients have been well known individuals, their achievements already widely celebrated, both locally and nationally; in a few, their contribution has been best known here at Oxford Brookes. The only common denominator amongst all, beyond that they have made a notable contribution to society, is that they set a wonderful example to our students.

Recent honorary graduates

Dominic Hare

Honorary Doctor of Business Administration

May 2024

Dominic is Chief Executive Officer at Blenheim Palace near Oxford, a role he has held since 2017, following 13 years as its Financial Director.

At Blenheim Palace, he and his team are dedicated to their roles not only as custodians of the 300-year-old estate, but also as innovators in areas like carbon management, and to ensuring that Blenheim remains at the heart of local life.

Anne Kiem OBE

Honorary Doctor of Business Administration

May 2024

Anne is Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors, a role she has held since January 2023. Prior to that she was Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools and Executive Director of the Small Business Charter for eight years. Anne’s commitment to supporting small businesses was recognised when she was awarded an OBE in 2019.

She has recently joined the Dean’s Advisory Committee at Oxford Brookes Business School.

Professor Teresa Lambe OBE

Honorary Doctor of Science

September 2023

A recognised opinion leader in the field of vaccine immunology, Teresa is one of the Principal Investigators who led the Oxford/ AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine programme. She co-designed the vaccine in January 2020, led the pre-clinical studies, and then oversaw the delivery of the immune results needed to support regulatory approval in late 2020. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has played a pivotal role in the fight against Covid-19, and is estimated to have saved more than 6 million lives globally.

Rob Bailey

Honorary Doctor of the University

September 2023

Rob is an occupational psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. He holds a BSc in Psychology from Royal Holloway and an MSc in Occupational Psychology from London Guildhall University. Rob has long-standing ties with Oxford Brookes by offering work placements and mentoring within Psychology.

During the pandemic, Rob founded Covid Print Oxford where volunteers with 3D printers made up to 450 face shields a day for frontline healthcare workers.

Neil Gadsby MBE

Honorary Doctor of the University

September 2023

Neil has earned wide recognition as a national voice for hospices and palliative care. He founded Katharine House Hospice in Banbury following the death of his daughter Katharine in 1984, while still a student. Since then, Neil has worked tirelessly to champion end of life support, and to develop the hospice which now cares for more than 800 people a year.

Ian Goddard

Honorary Doctor of Engineering

September 2023

Ian’s current role is focused on managing and developing relationships with team partners and sponsors, developing and applying new technology and showcasing partner products. He also developed an extensive graduate and intern recruitment programme, recruiting over 150 new engineers into the Renault F1 Team with a high proportion coming directly from Oxford Brookes Motorsport courses.

Euton Daley MBE

Honorary Doctor of Arts

September 2023

Euton is an artistic director, producer, creative writer, programmer, teacher, mentor and trainer with over 40 years’ professional experience working with artists, young people, students and communities. He has worked with young people’s theatre at the Royal Court and Greenwich Theatres in London and spent 23 years as artistic director and CEO of Oxford’s Pegasus Theatre.

Margaret Busby CBE

Honorary Doctor of Letters

September 2023

Margaret was born in Ghana and graduated from London University, before becoming Britain’s youngest and first black woman publisher.

She co-founded Allison and Busby publishers in the late 1960s. An editor, writer, broadcaster and literary critic, she has written drama for BBC radio and the stage. She has judged the Booker Prize among many other prestigious competitions. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Oxford International Centre for Publishing here at Oxford Brookes.

John Otway

Honorary Doctor of Music

September 2022

John Otway is a singer-songwriter from Aylesbury, who performed his first gig at his hometown in 1972, then 50 years later in April 2022, he performed his 5,000th gig at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. During his career, he has sold out the Royal Albert Hall and headlined at the London Palladium, as well as releasing 15 albums. In 2020 during lockdown, he performed nine music shows on Facebook from his own home, attracting more than 10,000 viewers each time.