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Lord Lieutenant and respected theatre maker to receive honorary degrees

The Lord Lieutenant of Greater London and an internationally respected theatre-maker will receive honorary degrees from Nottingham Trent University.

Sir-ken
The Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa, will receive an honorary degree from Nottingham Trent University

The university will present the awards to the recipients between 13-14 December during the winter graduation ceremonies.

Sir Kenneth Olisa, the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, will receive a Doctor of the University in recognition of his significant contribution to business, public service, and philanthropy.

Sir Ken, who grew up in Hyson Green, was awarded an OBE in 2010 for his services to business and philanthropy.

In 2015 he was appointed as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London and earlier this year he was knighted for his services to business and philanthropy.

Throughout his career Sir Ken has established and developed a number of companies and is the founder of two technology merchant banks.

He is passionate about supporting disadvantaged people to develop their self-esteem and realise their potential. He is also the chair of several charities including Thames Reach, Shaw Trust and the Aleto Foundation.

Emma-Rice
Emma Rice, an internationally respected theatre-maker and artistic director, will receive a Doctor of Arts.

Emma Rice, an internationally respected theatre-maker and artistic director, will receive a Doctor of Arts in recognition of her significant contribution to contemporary theatre.

Emma, who grew up in Nottingham, began performing for Cornwall-based Kneehigh Theatre in 1994.

She was later promoted to artistic director, where she led critically acclaimed productions including The Red Shoes, Brief Encounter and Rebecca and Don John.

Through her work Emma has toured the world achieving success in the West End and on Broadway, as well as in a tent in a field in Cornwall.

She won the best director award from the Theatrical Management Association in 2000 and she was appointed artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe in 2016.

Emma left Shakespeare’s Globe earlier this year and she went on to create Wise Children, an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.

The company’s mission includes a commitment to training the next generation of alternative, multi-disciplinary artists.

The graduation ceremonies will be held at the newly developed and award-winning Clifton Campus.

Professor Edward Peck, Vice-Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, said: “We give very careful thought to those individuals to whom we offer an Honorary Degree and we are delighted when people of the reputation and positive impact on society of Sir Ken and Emma accept.”

  • Notes for editors

    About Nottingham Trent University

    Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was named University of the Year 2017 at the Times Higher Education Awards, and Modern University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. These awards recognise NTU for its high levels of student satisfaction, its quality of teaching, its engagement with employers, and its overall student experience.

    NTU has been rated Gold in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework – the highest ranking available.

    NTU is one of the largest UK universities. With 30,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across four campuses, the University contributes £900m to the UK economy every year. It is one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly universities, containing some of the sector’s most inspiring and efficient award-winning buildings. 96% of its graduates go on to employment or further education within six months of leaving.

    Our student satisfaction is high: NTU achieved an 88% satisfaction score in the 2018 National Student Satisfaction Survey.
    The University is passionate about creating opportunities and its extensive outreach programme is designed to enable Nottingham Trent to be a vehicle for social mobility. NTU is among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    NTU is home to world-class research, and won The Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2015 – the highest national honour for a UK university. It recognised the University’s pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage; enable safer production of powdered infant formula; and combat food fraud.

    With an international student population of over 3,000 from around 100 countries, the University prides itself on its global outlook

Published on 10 December 2018
  • Category: Press office