Honorary Degrees and Fellowships 2nd November
Honorary Doctorates
An Honorary Degree is one of higher education’s most significant accolades. They are awarded on a selective basis to distinguished individuals who merit special recognition for achievement and distinction in a field or activity connected with the mission of the University. Holders of honorary degrees provide inspiration to students, as examples of success in a variety of ways. They also enhance the University’s profile on a national and international stage.
On the 2nd November 2022, the University of Worcester is awarding honorary doctorates to:
The Right Honourable Justine Greening
Former Cabinet Minister, the Rt Hon Justine Greening will receive an Honorary Degree from the University of Worcester today.
A long-time campaigner for equality of opportunity, Justine is the founder of the Social Mobility Pledge campaign and the Levelling Up Goals architecture, through which she is working with leaders across the private and public sectors, including universities such as the University of Worcester, to develop levelling up strategies that deliver change on the ground for communities.
Between 2011 and 2018, Justine served as a UK Cabinet Minister, as Secretary of State for Education, Minister for Women and Equalities, Secretary of State for International Development and Secretary of State for Transport and prior to that, from 2010-11, as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
She led the successful UK Government campaign with others for a standalone Goal 5 on Gender Equality as part of her work on the Sustainable Development Goals. Justine was also appointed to the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment in 2016-17.
Professor Sarah Greer
The former Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the University of Worcester, Professor Sarah Greer, will receive an Honorary Degree from the University of Worcester today.
During her time at Worcester, Professor Greer played a key role in developing the strategic vision for the University and was responsible for leading and ensuring excellence in teaching and research.
As part of this, she led two major projects which were key to the University’s future strategy. The first was to establish the University of Worcester’s School of Law, which opened in September 2016 with a clear focus on providing an outstanding student experience and exceptional employability opportunities for its students.
Professor Greer also led the project to develop the Three Counties School of Medicine, taking it from an aspiration to Stage 4 approval by the General Medical Council. She worked closely with a range of stakeholders across the region to realise the University of Worcester’s vision to create a graduate entry medical school which would allow qualified students from all backgrounds and disciplines to train as a doctor and serve the needs for high quality, compassionate medical care in the counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
An English Literature graduate of the University of Cambridge, Professor Greer went on to qualify first as a chartered accountant and then as a barrister, completing pupillage with the Treasury Solicitor. She is a Professor of Law and a National Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is a firm believer in the power of higher education to change individual lives for the better and to create possibilities for social change to benefit everybody.
Professor Greer has held a series of public appointments including, most recently, as a General Commissioner for the Disabled Students’ Commission. In January 2022, Professor Greer became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winchester.
University Fellowships
A University Fellowship is bestowed upon persons of distinction or those who have rendered significant service to the University or to the community. Fellows join the University’s College of Fellows, which provides opportunities for the individual to support the University in ways that reflect their particular areas of expertise and experience, be that providing work placement opportunities for students, or guest lecturing, among many other ways. They serve as Ambassadors for the University, enhancing the University’s influence in the national and international communities.
On the 2nd November 2022, University Fellowships will be bestowed upon:
John Pitt
John Pitt, the Executive Head of The Royal Grammar School (RGS) family of schools, will receive a Fellowship from the University of Worcester today.
John was educated at Dulwich College and completed a History Degree at Pembroke College, Cambridge and then a PGCE at the Institute of Education, Cambridge University.
He started his teaching career at Whitgift School in 1997 as a History Teacher and became Head of Sixth Form in 2001.
John left Whitgift in 2003 to become Deputy Head (Academic) at The Portsmouth Grammar School. In 2007, he returned to Whitgift as Second Master (senior deputy). In 2014, John was appointed as the 42nd Headmaster of The Royal Grammar School Worcester, one of the oldest schools in the world.
John was then appointed Executive Head of The RGS Worcester family of schools (4 schools) in 2021. The RGS Family of Schools now educates over 1,650 pupils from across Worcestershire.