Uni honours for poet and campaigner
Pair to receive honorary degrees
Scotland’s national poet Professor Kathleen Jamie and Dr Sally Witcher OBE, a high-profile campaigner on disability, inequality, and exclusion, are to receive honorary degrees from the University of Stirling.
Professor Jamie – Scotland’s Makar, or national poet, and a former professor at Stirling – will be recognised for her outstanding contribution to literature, while Dr Witcher is receiving the honorary doctorate for her outstanding contribution to improvements in the lives of disabled people.
The doctorates will be presented at the university’s spring graduation on Friday, which will see 555 students from 37 countries graduate and join Stirling’s 100,000-strong global alumni family.
Professor Sir Gerry Mccormac, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Stirling, said: “Graduation is a special occasion, and we are looking forward to welcoming our graduands to campus next week, to celebrate their academic achievements alongside their proud families and friends, and our university staff.
“We will also be joined by Professor Kathleen Jamie and Dr Sally Witcher, who will receive honorary doctorates in recognition of their outstanding contributions in their respective fields.
“Professor Jamie is an award-winning poet, essayist and author of non-fiction who spent 10 years at the university, as Professor of Creative Writing. Her works are known around the world, and, as Scotland’s Makar, she is a prominent champion for the reading and writing of poetry nationally.
“As a high-profile campaigner on disability, inequality, and exclusion, Dr Witcher has held a range of senior leadership roles during her esteemed career. They have included serving as chair of the Scottish Commission on Social Security, chief executive at Inclusion Scotland, deputy director in the Department for Work and Pensions’ Office for Disability Issues, chair of the UK Government’s Disability Employment Advisory Committee, and director of the UK Child Poverty Action Group. She has lived experienced as a disabled person and has recently become a strong advocate for a Covid-safe, inclusive new normal.
Students from all five faculties of the university will graduate at 11.30am on Friday in the first graduation ceremonies of 2023. Further graduations are held in summer and winter.