Honorary fellowships were received by: Mike Bellamy – recognised for his significant contribution to the work of the Council of the University, and to the National Health Service.
Yvonne Franks – Yvonne is Director of Nursing and Midwifery at West Midlands University Hospital in Isleworth, and was formerly the Head of Nursing for Outpatient and Diagnostic Services at Queen Mary’s University Hospital in Roehampton. Yvonne is strongly committed to professional nursing issues, pre- and postgraduate nursing and midwifery education. Lord Justice Sir William Gage – knighted in 1993, Sir William was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2004 as Lord Justice Gage. He has been a Judge of the Queen’s Bench Division since 1993 and from 1997 to 2000 was the Presiding Judge of the South Eastern Circuit. He chaired the Criminal Justice Council in 2005 and was recently appointed as the Chairman of the Working Group into Structured Sentencing.
Mike Street OBE – awarded for his many years of service to the aviation industry, and for his significant contribution to the work of the Council of the University.
The graduation ceremonies were attended by a range of distinguished speakers: Captain Ian Baston – Ian is currently General Manager Flight Crew for the airline, Flybe, with responsibility for manpower planning for 700 pilots. He also oversees pilot training schemes at a variety of UK and European flight training organisations. Ian saw service in the First Gulf War in 1991 and has spent 20 years as a pilot on frontline aircraft.
Above: Jazz Summers Right: Lord Justice Sir William Gage Left: Yvonne Franks
Felicity Collier – a former Chief Executive of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, Felicity qualified in social work at Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education in 1978 before gaining an MPhil in Social Work at Brunel University in 1994. She has held a variety of posts in the industry, including child care social worker, senior probation officer and divorce court welfare officer.
Mark Allard
Mark, from Haverhill, Suffolk, graduated from Bucks New University on 9 September with a BA (Hons) in Video Production. His dissertation film was a piece of fiction based around a dystopian view of the future which elaborates on the knife problems of today. The nine-minute short film has been accepted at a film festival in Canada, and in a UK-based online event called Canned Film.
“It’s great experience, and my first step on the career ladder” Mark also gained a student volunteering award for a three-minute
Graduation 2008
Jazz Summers – CEO of Big Life Music, Jazz has been responsible for managing artists including Wham!, Lisa Stansfield, Yazz, and The Verve, who between them have sold over 40 million albums around the world. In 2003 Jazz was awarded the prestigious Peter Grant award, and at the 2007 Music Week Awards, he was honoured with the Strat Award.
Jaspal Bhambra
Graduate shows films at festivals Student Mark Allard had his dissertation film screened at two film festivals even before he graduated from university.
David Mellor OBE – David is currently a Visiting Professor of Telecommunications at Coventry University having worked in the telecommunications industry for over 40 years, in over 120 countries. Working with governments and universities, David has designed a number of academic programmes. He received an OBE in 2003 for his work with the British Government.
video he produced with fellow Bucks student, David Thorne, which helped to save the Micklefield Library in High Wycombe from closure. “I felt strongly that the library shouldn’t close. We worked with Micklefield Matters, the charity which campaigned to save the library. We included vox pops in our video and kept it light-hearted. It was used in a bid by the charity for Lottery funding, and I was told afterwards that the video helped clinch it.” Mark spent his summer holidays getting experience of commercial video-making through working for the High Wycombe based Hazlemere Group. “It’s been set up by the University and the Bucks Free Press, and will be the first commercial by the company on a website. It’s great experience, and my first step on the career ladder,” says Mark.
Maria Monaghan
New life for single mum A new life beckons for single mum, Maria Monaghan, who graduated from Bucks New University. Maria, 40, who left school in Darlington with GCSEs, aims to set up her own business after graduating with an HNC in Garden Design with Plantmanship.
we became homeless. As a single mum on benefits, I had no family in this area, and no-one to help me. But I focused on my studies and have achieved my goal. I feel so proud of myself. I’m a new person, and the course has given me the confidence to find a new direction.
“The course has given me the confidence to find a new direction”
“I cared for people for 20 years, and it was hard work. I believe working with plants is similar to working with people as you need understanding and patience. But it’s something I really want to do. Now my goal is to raise the money I need to start my own business.”
Maria had been accepted onto the HNC after gaining a distinction in a National Certificate of Horticulture at Bucks’s partner college, Berkshire College of Agriculture, in 2006. “The course has changed my life,” she says. “I moved south with my little girl after working as a care assistant for 20 years. However, my partner then walked out. In addition,
Did you know? Students at the Friday morning graduation ceremony were joined onstage by the FA and Guinness Premiership Cups.