Alumni engagement and philanthropy

Paul McGinley, winning Captain of the 2014 Ryder Cup, is one of fourteen Queen's honorary graduates this year  

16 March 2015

The victorious 2014 Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley, the President of the Royal Academy of Engineering Professor Dame Ann Dowling and leading business woman Helena Morrissey are to receive honorary degrees from Queen’s later this year. They are among 14 people from the worlds of business, sport, academia, politics and the arts being honoured by the University in 2015.

The list also includes gold medal winning Paralympian Kelly Gallagher and her guide Charlotte Evans, who will be honoured for distinction in sport. 

Distinguished names from the fields of business and commerce are also being recognised including the Chairwoman of the BBC Trust, Rona Fairhead CBE, and the Vice Chairman of Operations for KPMG Shaun T Kelly, who is a key supporter of Queen’s City Scholarship programme.

Thomas Lynch,  Director of Icon, one of the world's largest clinical research organisations, who is a former President of Queen’s Students’ Union and currently Chair of the Queen’s Foundation Board, gets a DSc Econ for his contribution to business and commerce, as well as for service to the University.

Being recognised for exceptional services to education are Professor Louise Richardson, the first female Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, and Zhao Qun, President of the China Medical University, which has a long standing partnership with Queen’s that has led to the development of the China Queen’s College in Shenyang.

The University awards honorary degrees to individuals who have achieved high distinction or who have given significant service in one or more fields of public or professional life, and who serve as ambassadors for Queen’s and Northern Ireland around the world.

This year’s summer graduation ceremonies will take place from Thurs 2 - Wed 8 July, with dates for winter graduation (in December) still to be announced.

The full list of 2015 honorary degrees to be awarded is as follows:

  • Professor Dame Ann Dowling,  DSc Eng for services to engineering
  • Charlotte Evans MBE,  DUniv for distinction in sport
  • Kelly Gallagher MBE, DUniv for distinction in sport
  • Rona Fairhead CBE, DSc Econ for services to business and commerce
  • Professor Stephen Furber CBE, DSc Eng for services to engineering
  • Shaun T Kelly, DSc Econ for services to business and commerce
  • Thomas Lynch, DSc Econ for services to business and commerce and to the University
  • Professor Sir Alex Markham, DMedSc, for services to science and medicine
  • Paul McGinley, DUniv for distinction in sport
  • Dr Françoise Meunier, DMedSc for services to science and medicine
  • Helena Morrissey CBE, DSc Econ for services to business and commerce
  • Michael P O’Boyle, LLD for distinction in public service
  • Professor Louise Richardson, DSSc for services to education
  • President Zhao Qun, LLD for services to education

Photograph above: (L-R), top row - Paul McGinley, Françoise Meunier, Helena Morrissey, Louise Richardson, Sir Alex Markham; (middle) - Zhao Qun, Dame Ann Dowling, Shaun Kelly, Thomas Lynch; (bottom) - Rona Fairhead, Stephen Furber, Charlotte Evans and Kelly Gallagher and Michael P O’Boyle.

Media inquiries to Claire O’Callaghan, Senior Communications Officer, Queen’s University Belfast, phone +44 (0)28 9097 3087 or email - c.ocallaghan@qub.ac.uk or comms.office@qub.ac.uk

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