Buckingham’s Honorary Graduates

Over the years, the University has been pleased to confer honorary degrees to a wide range of distinguished individuals from all walks of life, who have made major contributions in their particular field. This includes people from academic life, politics, law and society in general, both within the UK and internationally. We are particularly delighted that some of our honorary degrees have been conferred upon our former students.

On this page you will find details of our 2022 honorary graduates, and details of honorary graduates going back to the early years of the University.

2023 Honorary Graduates

View the most recent honorary graduates of The University of Buckingham below:

Dr Roger Jefcoate - Doctor of the University

An inspiration to many, Roger Jefcoate epitomises the ‘can-do’ attitude not just within himself but within the countless people whose lives have been changed by his pioneering work. For over sixty years Roger has worked to enhance the use of technology for people living with a disability, starting with the ten years he spent at Stoke Mandeville Hospital developing such equipment.

This included Possum, the world’s first remote-controlled system for disabled people which fittingly takes its name from the Latin word for ‘I can’. Roger not only played a key role in the development of this equipment but was instrumental in ensuring it was available to all disabled people through the NHS. Throughout his career Roger has given his time, knowledge, and resources as an independent advisor, often on a voluntary basis knowing the financial pressures already facing those needing his help the most.

For his services to disabled people Roger was appointed CBE in 1998 and he has further served as chairman of The Princes Trust between 1990 and 1997 and as Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire since 2011. He continues to provide support to various causes through the numerous charities he has founded or supports through the Roger and Jean Jefcoate Trust.

Dr Kenan Malik - Doctor of the University

Kenan Malik is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster, and a columnist for the Observer. After studying neurobiology, and then history and philosophy of science, he has, over the past 30 years, combined academic research with popular writing and journalism. His main areas of interest are the history of ideas, political and moral philosophy, and the history and sociology of race and immigration.

His latest book, Not So Black and White, is a history of ideas of race and identity. Previous books include From Fatwa to Jihad, The Search for a Moral Compass, Multiculturalism and its Discontents, Strange Fruit, Man, Beast and Zombie, and The Meaning of Race. From Fatwa to Jihad was shortlisted for the Orwell Book Prize, and Strange Fruit nominated for the Royal Society Science Book Prize.

He has presented Radio 3’s Nightwaves and Analysis on Radio 4, as well as being a former panellist on Radio 4’s The Moral Maze. He has written and presented a number of radio and TV documentaries and lectured at universities in Britain, Europe, Australia, USA and Canada.

Dr Adam McGill - Doctor of Science

Adam is the founder and CEO of “The Fizz Group”. The company is the UK’s leading supplier of educational memorabilia, such as school photographs, academic yearbooks and school leaver apparel.

Adam began the company while still at school at the age of 15 in 2007. He was motivated by receiving a school yearbook which he claimed he could have produced better. Having told his teachers and family that he could do this, they told him that if he believed he could do so, then he should do it. So, rather than going to university, Adam left school and established “The Fizz Group”.

This company quickly became the market-leader in its field, something which continues to be the case 15 years later.

However, Adam was quick to realise that his school education had not prepared him for the world of business. He rapidly became a passionate advocate for enterprise education. This brought him into contact with the University of Buckingham where he has been a supporter of the Buckingham Business Enterprise degree for the past decade.

During that time, Adam has provided support and mentoring for students. In addition, he has been a regular member of the “Buckingham Angels” – the panel that decides on funding from student business pitches. He has donated many, many hours to supporting our students.

Outside the university, Adam has been a strong campaigner for enterprise education in schools. He has worked with schools directly to help increase the level of enterprise education. He has also written on the topic to campaign for improvements in school education so that entrepreneurship is seen as a career option. Adam has also campaigned to eliminate the airbrushing of children’s faces in school photographs. He has led a nationwide campaign to stop other school photography firms from airbrushing students’ faces – something his company has never done.

Adam’s business journey from school leaver to running a significant business group in the education sector has also seen him become a passionate supporter of the kind of practical enterprise education we have pioneered here at Buckingham.

Dr Karl Yin - Doctor of the University

Karl Yin, Chairman of Hualan Education Group, started his career in the financial sector. He was first in FX trader and then an investment banker before deciding to work for his family’s education business.

He joined the group as a Director in 2012 and was initially tasked with overseeing the group’s development strategy. In 2013, he led a partnership project with the United Westminster Greycoat Schools Foundation with the goal of building a new school in China. The HIKSVS International School Tianjin was successfully launched in 2017, and he subsequently became the Chairman of Governors.

Apart from running the family business, he is keen on solving the global teacher shortage problem and believes that affordable, professional teacher training is the key. He partnered with the University of Buckingham Faculty of Education and launched the Buckingham International School of Education in 2019, aiming to train Chinese bilingual teachers with British methods.

Karl is the founder of the Hualan Scholarship, which provides teacher training funding for less privileged students internationally. In 2020, the Hualan Scholarship expanded to supporting Education Leadership in partnership with the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust, which provides scholarships for graduates from developing and emerging countries to study at the University of Oxford and participate in a specially created Leadership Programme.

Karl is the Chairman of the International Advisory Board of the University of Buckingham Faculty of Education. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Trust.

Previous Honorary Graduates

Details of honorary graduates going back to the early years of the University can be found below:

Honorary graduates 2021-2022