Pro-Chancellor and chair of the University of Birmingham and former chair of the Student Loans Company, Ed Smith, has been awarded a CBE for services to higher education in the New Year’s Honours.
Mr Smith, who heads the University’s supreme governing body, is one of four University of Birmingham staff and associates recognised in the 2014 New Year’s Honours list.
Professor Paul Cannon, Professor of Radio Science and Systems and former director of the Poynting Institute, based at the University of Birmingham and a senior fellow at QinetiQ received an OBE. British Empire Medals were awarded to Dr Simon Cotton, honorary senior lecturer in Chemistry, for services to Chemistry, and Sylvia Gardiner, digital assets assistant, Library Services, for services to higher education and charitable services in Ethiopia through a charity she founded called Lucia – Life Uplifted by Change in Africa.
Congratulating the four, Professor David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, said: “We are delighted that the hard work and dedication of so many of our staff and associates has been recognised in this way.
“I’m extremely pleased by the CBE awarded to Ed Smith, who has done a huge amount to drive our efforts to become a leading global university. His accolade, along with those received by Paul Cannon, Simon Cotton and Sylvia Gardiner, is well deserved and demonstrates the type of excellence we have here at Birmingham.”
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