We award Honorary Degrees to distinguished figures in India
For over four decades the University of Wolverhampton has been proud to confer Honorary Degrees on distinguished people from around the world.
These prestigious awards recognise the achievements of individuals within their career and the impact they have had in their field, and last month we were delighted to honour three leading figures from the political and media arena in India.
In two ceremonies taking place in New Delhi and Chennai, Finance Minister Honorary Shri Pranab Mukherjee; Leader of the Opposition, Mr Arun Jaitley; and Editor-in-Chief of India’s largest newspaper, The Hindu, Mr Narasimhan Ram; all received Honorary Doctorates.
The award of Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters was conferred on Mr Pranab Mukherjee in recognition of his outstanding service to Indian society and contribution to international affairs. Mr Arun Jaitley, who received the same award, was recognised for his contribution to Indian politics and service to the people of India. Mr Narasimhan Ram was conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Social Sciences in recognition of his prolific and distinguished journalistic career.
Attending the events was the University’s Chancellor, The Rt Hon Lord Paul of Marylebone, PC.
Speaking of the awardees Lord Paul described them as: “First class scholars that understand the value of education and what can be achieved when the right foundations are in place. Through their inspirational careers, they have come to play a vital role in the prosperity and global standing of India.”
He added: “The University is proud of its connection with India. It is a privilege for me personally, as I have been Chancellor of the University for many years, and I am always pleased to attend and confer such awards, to help promote and strengthen relations between the UK and India.”
There are almost 3000 international students studying in Wolverhampton and a further 1000 studying on University of Wolverhampton programmes delivered overseas in over 10 countries. Supporting this activity is an established network of regional offices in India, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, Nigeria, Cyprus and Poland.
The University is also part of the Government driven Wolverhampton India Project which aims to strengthen economic, educational and trade links between the City of Wolverhampton and India.
Conferring the Honorary Degrees was the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Caroline Gipps.
She said: “I am delighted that so many distinguished guests are here today to share and celebrate this auspicious occasion. The special relationship we have fostered with India for many years has been strengthened today, and the University is looking forward to developing new relationships and partnerships that will benefit India and the University.”
Guests at the two events included Sir Richard Stagg, British High Commissioner; Mr Pratip Chudhuri, Chairman of the State Bank of India; Mr Sayyed Jilani, Chairman of the NRI Council (UK); and Mrs Ratna Singh, Member of the Parliament of India.
Join today: www.wlv.ac.uk/indiaalumni
On Monday 30 May 2011 we formally launched the new Indian Alumni Association. Honorary graduate, Mr Narasimhan Ram, was appointed Honorary President of the Association at his degree ceremony in Chennai.
The University of Wolverhampton is proud to have alumni from over 100 countries around the world and each year we gladly welcome over 500 students from India and more than 2500 from the UK with Indian origin.
As our global community grows, we are passionate about helping graduates to stay connected with the University, and their fellow alumni, no matter where they are in the world.
The Indian Alumni Association is a chapter of the university-wide WLV Alumni Association. Membership is free and open to all Indian graduates regardless of where they live or the course they studied.
For more information and to join the Indian Alumni Association visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/indiaalumni
