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Graduating students celebrate with Dame Helen
Famed screen and stage actress, Dame Helen Mirren picked
up an honorary doctorate from the University earlier this month.
Dame Helen, who grew up in Southend, joined six other honorary
graduates and more than 1,200 graduating students for the six ceremonies
in July.
In her acceptance speech, Dame Helen said she was delighted with the
honour and congratulated the students. Speaking to the local press after
the ceremony she commented: 'I am proud to be the bearer of the badge
Essex girl and I am delighted to have got this award. One of my deepest
regrets was that I never went to university and it's great that I have got
a degree without doing any work for it!'
After the ceremony, Dame Helen met East 15 graduates who performed a
song and dance routine in her honour at their departmental reception.
Honorary doctorates were also awarded to: historian Linda Colley, FBA;
Dr Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence; Channel 4
News correspondent, Lindsey Hilsum; local businessman Ian Marks, CBE, DL;
Professor Susie Orbach, one of the UK's leading psychotherapists; and
Professor John O'Reilly who is currently Chief Executive of the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
More than 100 countries were represented by graduating students and the
Chancellor, Lord Andrew Philips, made note of the international nature of
the University during his opening speech: 'One of the particular
distinctions of this University - this vibrant and exciting University -
is the richness of its intake. The galaxy of its students is a continuing
source of its common wealth. A quarter of undergraduates and nearly three
quarters of graduate students come from abroad.'
Among the students graduating on the second day of ceremonies were
mother and son, Linda and Matthew Walker, of Chelmsford.
Linda and Matthew Walker
Linda, a mother of five and now a grandmother, achieved a BSc in Psychology, despite
discovering in her final year that she was dyslexic, and Matthew received
a BA in Accounting and Management. The mother and son had previously
studied together at Chelmsford College.
Also celebrating was Essex graduate Stephen Feber who collected the
2004 Alumnus of the Year Award.
Stephen, who graduated in 1980 with an MA in Literature, was Chief
Executive of Magna, the science adventure centre based in Rotherham. He
helped to launch the unique lottery-funded project which aims to make
science fun, and has enjoyed commercial and critical successes which have
won numerous awards.
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