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Graduates celebrate academic success at UEL’s first award ceremony

Friday 30 October 2009

(From left to right) Mohammed Dastbaz, Dean of CITE, Sathi Ludhianvi (behind Acting VC Professor Susan Price) Lord Rix, Baroness Denise Kingsmill and Liam Kane and

More than five hundred University of East London (UEL) graduates from the School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering (CITE) celebrated academic success with family and friends at the first award ceremony held at London’s Barbican Hall on Thursday 29 October.

Lord Rix, Chancellor of UEL personally awarded degrees, diplomas and certificates to every graduate. He also conferred honorary awards upon leading public figures Liam Kane, Chief Executive of the East London Business Alliance (ELBA); Government Peer, Baroness Denise Kingsmill and well-known South Asian writer and broadcaster, Sathi Ludhianvi.

Liam Kane and Baroness Kingsmill received the award of Honorary Doctor of Business Administration, and Sathi Ludhianvi received the award of Honorary Doctor of Arts.

In addressing the graduates, UEL’s Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Susan Price, said: “This is a day which celebrates the reward from a great deal of personal sacrifice and commitment, so congratulations to everyone here. I know many of you have worked exceptionally hard and UEL is a global community and we want to help and inspire our graduates to go on to achieve tremendous success in their careers and personal lives.”

Liam Kane is a key figure in the regeneration and redevelopment of east London. ELBA supports many initiatives covering employment and skills, mentoring in schools, health projects and support for social enterprises. In his address, he said: “The competitive nature of the job market has changed and now it’s up to you. You are from one of the best new universities in the country and it’s what you do now that counts, despite the recession.”

Baroness Denise Kingsmill’s career has encompassed periods as a leading trade union and employment lawyer and as a non-executive director of many companies, charities and government boards. She was appointed as a life peer to the House of Lords in 2006. In her speech, Baroness Kingsmill gave an inspiring speech.

Baroness Kingsmill said: “I am so impressed by the parade of graduates who crossed the stage today and I am excited on your behalf. My experiences as an immigrant in this country from New Zealand to South Wales as a young girl made me very resilient and I have a sense of gratitude and public duty because of that. I can tell from the energy and brilliance from the students here today that some of you will change the world for the better.”

Sathi Ludhianvi is particularly well known in the South Asian community in the UK and India. He was the first Punjabi news editor on Sunrise Radio and multi-lingual discussion host on Kismat Radio. Sathi said: “I feel extremely honoured to be standing as a recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Arts. Education is a must and the contribution of UEL needs to be told as a university that is providing opportunities for people from different backgrounds.”

The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks from Kieran Finnerty, a prizewinner and a graduate of the Beng (Hons) Civil Engineering Programme.

UEL's School of Computing, Information Technology and Engineering is renowned for innovative research and valuable industrial collaborations. Internationally recognised areas of research including satellite guidance systems and manufactured aggregates.

In total, around 2,500 UEL students are graduating this year and this graduation ceremony is the first of six taking place for UEL.

Dean of School Prizewinners for some programmes:

Janagan Nithiananthan, 23, from Newham graduated with a Beng (Hons) in Civil Engineering. Janagan said: “I’ve really liked UEL and the library facilities and the lecturers were fantastic.”

Rosina Shuuya, 29, originally from Namibia, graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Surverying and Mapping Sciences and is a Surveyor. She stayed at the Docklands Campus in Newham during her programme. Rosina said: “I feel honoured to get my degree and the time spent at UEL was definitely worth it. It taught me how to be become more independent and have more confidence in myself, I have grown a lot.”

Maria Quyyum, 26, from East Ham, Newham graduated with an MSc in Mobile Communications. She said: “I am extremely proud to be a graduate of UEL and I definitely made the right decision to come here.”

Kieran Finnerty, 33, from Dagenham gave the Vote of Thanks and graduated with a BEng in Civil Engineering. Kieran said: “It’s great that UEL gave me a chance to study here as a mature student, I’ve enjoyed it immensely.”

Noor MD Sidiqul Hasan, 24, from Finsbury Park, Hackney, graduated with an MSc in Civil Engineering. Noor said: “I am delighted to get this degree. I found all of my lecturers really inspiring and I think the facilities at UEL are excellent, such as the library and the laboratories too.”

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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