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7 Sep 2006 09:37:03
One of the University of Luton’s final graduation ceremonies took place on Tuesday in the warm sunshine, where an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree was awarded to Greg Dyke, in recognition of his contribution to broadcasting in the UK.
The former Director General of the BBC was joined by Geoffrey Farr DL and Antony Hopkins CBE in receiving honorary awards at the graduation ceremony at St Mary’s church in Luton on Tuesday (5 September).
In his speech, Mr Dyke said: “I am very proud to receive this award, and would like to thank the University for this honour. Today is a special day for graduates, and I hope you all go forward with independence and integrity, These are values I hold at work and associate with the University of Luton, which is why I was pleased to receive this award today.”
Mr Dyke resigned in January 2004 as Director General of the BBC, after heavy criticism of the organisation in the Hutton Report. Mr Dyke was passionate in his defence of independent BBC journalism.
Referring to his time at the BBC he continued: “I have no regrets about my actions at the BBC as I acted with integrity and independence. In a democracy the role of the media is to hold the Government to account.”
Greg Dyke has an impressive career in broadcasting. He trained as a reporter for the Hillingdon Mirror, becoming chief reporter within eight months, before moving to the Slough Evening Mail.
By 1979, now working as a producer on Weekend World, he helped to lead the successful 11-week ITV strike at LWT. Soon after, as Deputy Editor of The London Programme, he developed a reputation for instinctively understanding the mass audience and delivering populist stories.
He became Editor-in–Chief of TV-am in 1983. In a bid to tackle low audience figures he famously promoted the show’s puppet, Roland Rat, and brought in Anne Diamond and Nick Owen to create a ‘homelier’ feel to the show.
After a year at TVS gaining business experience, Mr Dyke was promoted to Director of Programmes at LWT when the incumbent, John Birt, became Deputy General at the BBC in 1987. In 1990 he became Managing Director; and from 1991-1994 he was Group Chief Executive of LWT (Holdings PLC).
After guiding the consortium which created Channel 5 and becoming the first Chairman, Mr Dyke joined the BBC as Director-General. He re-organised its structure, spending more income on programmes and services for audiences and less on running the organisation.
He made major commitments to use digital technology to provide education opportunities and to improve cultural diversity of the workforce and BBC programmes.
After leaving the BBC in January 2004, Mr Dyke worked on his autobiography Inside Story, which was published in September 2004. Mr Dyke gives his account of the BBC’s relations with the Government, the behaviour of the BBC’s governors and the events surrounding the Hutton inquiry. In August 2004 he became Chancellor of York University.
Antony Hopkins CBE, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree, in recognition of his achievements as a broadcaster and his contribution to the musical life of Luton, and Geoffrey Farr DL was awarded an Honorary Fellowship, for his contribution as Governor of the University, Vice Chair and Chair of Governors and as Chair of the Tenth Anniversary Committee of the University Court.
On the day, more than 150 students took part in the procession from the town hall to St Mary’s Church, and were presented with their degrees from the faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science. This was one of a number of ceremonies taking place throughout the week.
Vice Chancellor, Professor Les Ebdon, highlighted in his speech the merger with DMU Bedford, and said it was a time to look back at the achievements of the University of Luton and the achievements of its graduates, and to look forward to the hopes and aspirations for the University of Bedfordshire.
On Friday 9 September, Match of the Day pundit and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks will be receiving an Honorary Masters degree, together with Nazia Khanum OBE, Alan Cook CBE and Sheikh Walid Ahmed Juffali.
From next year the University will be awarding certificates from the University of Bedfordshire, which launched after the merger between the University of Luton and DMU on 1 August 2006.
To find out more about studying at the University of Bedfordshire visit www.beds.ac.uk or call 0800 3896633.
Latest news» 2006» Sep» University of Luton honours Greg Dyke
