News archive 2008

Honorary Degree Ceremony

27 Nov 2008, PR 250/08

The College’s first full-scale Honorary Degree Ceremony was held yesterday evening in the Strand Chapel. The Chairman of Council, the Marquess of Douro, and the Principal, Professor Rick Trainor, conferred Honorary Degrees on seven highly-distinguished recipients.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of Council said: ‘King’s will be much enriched by its association with today’s distinguished graduands’, and offered his warmest congratulations.

Honorary Degrees are awarded by King’s College London to individuals who are of conspicuous merit as demonstrated by their outstanding academic contribution to their field.

The new Honorary Graduates are:

Professor Michael Bishop: Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa
Professor Bishop was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the oncogene which has led to breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and is Chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco.
[Presentation and citation delivered by Professor Robert Lechler, Vice-Principal (Health)]

Professor Peter Brown FBA: Doctor of Arts, Honoris Causa
Professor Brown is a leading Late Classical and Medieval historian, Rollins Professor of History and Director of the Program in Hellenic Studies, Princeton University.
[Presentation and citation delivered by Professor Jan  Palmowski, Head of the School of Humanities]

Dr James Lovelock CH CBE FRS: Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa
Dr Lovelock is a key figure in thinking about life and climate change, and developer of the Gaia theory, the standard theory of why the earth’s temperature has been relatively stable over such a long period.
[Presentation and citation delivered by Professor Denise Lievesley, Head of the School of Social Science & Public Policy]

Baron Rees of Ludlow OM Kt PRS: Doctor of Science, Honoris Causa
Lord Rees is a cosmologist and astrophysicist, Astronomer Royal, President of the Royal Society, and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.
[Presentation and citation delivered by Professor Michael Yianneskis, Head of the School of Physical Sciences & Engineering]

Professor Junji Tagami: Doctor of Dentistry, Honoris Causa
Professor Tagami is Dean of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University and an international opinion leader in the field of applied dental biomaterials science.
[Presentation and citation delivered by Professor Nairn Wilson, Dean and Head of the Dental Institute]

Professor Romila Thapar: Doctor of Arts, Honoris Causa
Professor Thapar is one of India’s most eminent historians and Emeritus Professor in History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
[Presentation and citation delivered by Professor Jan  Palmowski, Head of the School of Humanities]

Professor Tu Wei-Ming: Doctor of Arts, Honoris Causa
Professor Tu is the Harvard-Yenching Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy at Harvard University and is widely recognised as a leading scholar in Confucian studies.
[Presentation and citation delivered by Professor Jan  Palmowski, Head of the School of Humanities]

Lord Rees responded on behalf of the honorary graduates. He spoke of how the change in degree-awarding status made this a special time for the College, and commented that he was certain King’s had a glorious future. He spoke about science as truly a universal culture and, from his perspective as a cosmologist, said he believed this century would be a truly defining moment for mankind and for the earth, with far-reaching decisions to be made about the future of the planet. Recalling lectures he attended in the 1960s at King’s given by Professor Herman Bondi, he commented on Bondi’s foresight about the need for London to have a Thames barrier, which he noted as an excellent example of long-term decision-making. (Text of full speech)

In his closing remarks, The Principal said: ‘We are delighted that these highly distinguished people, from a wide range of countries and fields, will now be associated with King’s, and to what we hope will be a long and inspirational association with King’s. The association with King’s of today’s graduates reinforces the disciplinary breadth and internationalism of the College – and adds considerably to our intellectual distinction.’

From 2008, King’s College London is awarding its own honorary degrees under degree-awarding powers granted by the Privy Council. Previously the College awarded honorary degrees of the University of London, of which King’s remains an active member.

[Image: Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Society. Tempest photography]



Notes to editors

King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher 2008) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King’s has 19,700 students from more than 150 countries, and 5,400 employees. King’s has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of approximately £450 million. An investment of £500 million has been made in the redevelopment of its estate.

King’s has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, social sciences, the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres – a total unsurpassed by any other university.

Further information
Melanie Gardner, Senior Public Relations Officer,
Public Relations Department, King’s College London.
Tel: 020 7848 3073; email melanie.gardner@kcl.ac.uk

Next:
Review of the King's year
King’s shows way for London Leaders
2008 RAE results
£1.5m to study symmetries of the universe
Honorary recognition for King’s

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