Former boxing champion Barry McGuigan MBE and comedians Mark Steel and Phill Jupitus are among those due to receive honorary degrees from the University at ceremonies at Canterbury and Rochester cathedrals during July.
Barry McGuigan is a retired professional boxer from Clones in the Republic of Ireland. Known as The Clones Cyclone, Barry McGuigan became WBA and lineal featherweight champion.
He is the current President of the Professional Boxing Association and founder of Cyclone Promotions. He also manages former WBA featherweight champion Carl Frampton. Barry McGuigan will receive his honorary degree at a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on 11 July.
Mark Steel is a stand-up comedian, broadcaster, newspaper columnist and author. He has made many appearances on radio and television shows and written regular columns in newspapers The Guardian and The Independent. Mark Steel will receive his honorary degree at a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on 10 July.
Phill Jupitus is a stand-up comedian, actor and performance poet. He was a team captain on BBC Two’s popular music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks from its inception in 1996 until it finished in 2015. He also appears on several other TV panel shows, including QI. Phill Jupitus will receive his honorary degree at a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on 10 July.
Other recipients of honorary degrees during July will include the civil liberties lawyer Jocelyn Cockburn, who brought a judicial review challenge against the Director of Public Prosecutions for his decision not to prosecute anyone for the murder of Stephen Lawrence, at Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday 12 July, computer scientist Professor Simon Peyton Jones, a major contributor to the design of the Haskell programming language, at Canterbury Cathedral on 13 July and artist Jonathan Yeo, described as ‘one of the world’s most in-demand portraitists’ at Rochester Cathedral on 18 July.
The full list of recipients will be announced in April.