Chris Coleman visits Bangor University to receive Honour

Graduation Week highlights 17-21 July 2017

Chis Coleman, Wales’ national football team manager joins Bangor Business School graduating students to receive an Honorary Fellowship, marking Wales’ outstanding achievement at Euro 2016, when the national team reached the semi-finals in an historic and memorable campaign.

He joins the first of ten graduation ceremonies on Monday morning.

Graduation Gallery 2017

(Chris Coleman, Arglwydd/ Lord Davies, Dr Cen Williams, Ifor ap Glyn, Athro/ Prof Constantinos Grammenos CBE, Kailesh Karavadra, Julian Evans, Llion Williams, Osian Roberts, Nicholas Jackson, Dr Raj Jones)

During the week over 2700 degrees will be awarded to new graduates and post-graduate students from 96 countries, reflecting Bangor University’s international appeal.

Professor John G Hughes commented:

“The recent Gold Award accreditation received by the University in the national Teaching Excellence Framework confirms the high quality university education which our graduating students have received here. Indeed, our students’ response in a range of student satisfaction surveys, both national and local, attest to their consistently high satisfaction with their university experience. Their degree from Bangor will have provided our graduates with the skills and knowledge to pursue a successful career, and I wish them all the best in whatever path they choose to follow.”

Joining Chris Coleman to receive an Honorary Fellowship in the same ceremony is Lord Mervyn Davies CBE, who served as Chair of Bangor University’s Council from 2008-2015. He also served in government as Minister for Trade, Small Business & Infrastructure from January 2009- May 2010, and continues to follow a highly successful career in financial services.

On Monday afternoon, poet and TV executive Ifor ap Glyn receives an Honorary Fellowship. Ifor ap Glyn is currently the fourth National Poet and has already served as Welsh Children’s Laureate. He has won the National Eisteddfod Crown twice. He is also a producer and broadcaster, and director of independent television company Cwmni Da.

Dr Cen Williams is also to receive an Honorary Fellowship. Dr Williams contributed to education both nationally and internationally and is internationally renowned for his work among experts in the field of bilingual education. Following his career in the local education sector and at Coleg Normal, he led the University’s Canolfan Bedwyr from its inception in 1996, developed ‘Cymraeg Clir’, the Welsh language equivalent to the ‘Crystal Mark’ awarded by the Plain English Campaign, and, through his secondment in 2000-02, established the body which become the Coleg Cymraeg.

Two Bangor graduates who are prominent figures from the world of business and finance receive Honorary Fellowships on Tuesday morning.  Kailesh Karavadra graduated with BSc and MSc degrees in Electronic Engineering from the Bangor, adding additional accounting and financial modules to his Master’s programme. He joined Ernst & Young and progressed to become Office Managing Partner in Silicon Valley, serving clients across northern California.  Professor Constantinos Grammenos CBE is a leading expert in international shipping and Finance. He studied his MSc in Financial Economics at Bangor University. A leading academic at City University.

Award winning actor and Bangorian, Llion Williams is the only person to have won both English and Welsh language performance prizes at the Wales Theatre Awards. He was awarded the English language best male performance prize for his role in bilingual play Belonging/Perthyn and best Welsh language male actor for Chwalfa, Pontio’s opening production in conjunction with Theatr Genedlaethol. Llion has extensive theatre and television experience and is to be honoured for his contribution to the Theatre. He receives an Honorary Fellowship on Tuesday afternoon. Also receiving an Honorary Fellowship is Prof Julian Evans OBE. A Bangor graduate and the first to receive the University’s DSc in Forestry, Prof Julian Evans received his OBE for services to forestry in the Third World.

Osian Roberts, assistant manager of the Welsh national football team, receives his Honorary Fellowship on Wednesday afternoon. Born on Anglesey, Osian Roberts played for Bangor City, before moving to the United States at the age of 19 after receiving a scholarship to attend Furman University – the first from Wales to receive a soccer scholarship to a US University. He has coached the youth teams of Wales for several years and over 150 games, and on 21 July 2015 became the assistant manager of the Welsh national team and was key part of Wales’ success at Euro 2016.

The focus turns to wildlife and conservation for Thursday’s Honorary Fellows. On Thursday Morning Nicholas Jackson MBE receives an Honorary Fellowship. As Chief Executive of the National Zoological Society of Wales, Welsh Mountain Zoo at Colwyn Bay, Nicholas Jackson has amassed over 40 years’ experience of working in zoology, having begun as an animal keeper at the ZSL London Zoo. His contribution includes his practical support of captive breeding programmes for animals to be re-introduced to their habitat and his valued support in educating the next generation of zoologists from Bangor University.

On Thursday afternoon, Dr Raj Jones receives an Honorary Fellowship for her conservation and philanthropic work. With her husband, the late Tom Parry Jones, Dr Jones established the Tom & Raj Parry Jones Trust to support young entrepreneurs, and continues this work. She was the first Chair of the Red Squirrel Trust Wales and is an active member of several conservation bodies.

On Friday morning Anglesey-born barrister, Gwion Lewis receives an Honorary Fellowship. In addition to his work in Chambers, Gwion is the editor of the ‘Wales’ section of the Planning Encyclopaedia. Gwion Lewis can also be heard speaking regularly about legal affairs on television and radio, receiving a BAFTA Wales award for ‘Best Breakthrough’ for his television work in 2013.

These days, Prof Gareth Ffowc Roberts is known to many for his taxing and tempting mathematical ‘tweets’ in the Welsh language. He is also the author of numerous books on popular mathematics. Through his books, broadcasts, talks and use of social media, he has contributed to popularising mathematics  in English and Welsh. He is also a former head of the Coleg Normal and former pro Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University as well as Emeritus Professor of Bangor University. He is to be honoured for his services to education on Friday morning.

Read all our graduation news stories here.

Publication date: 17 July 2017