Former VC to be Awarded Degree of Honorary Doctor

Media Release

September 25th, 2006

Former Waikato University Vice-Chancellor, Bryan Gould, will be awarded the degree of Honorary Doctor of the University of Waikato at the Law School Graduation Ceremony at the Founders Theatre on 19 October.

Gould served as Waikato University’s Vice-Chancellor from 1994 to 2004. Under his leadership, several major initiatives were undertaken, including the construction of the City’s WEL Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts, the establishment of the School of Maori and Pacific Development, and the creation of the Waikato Innovation Park. In 1995, Gould shepherded the University through the process of returning to Tainui the lands on which it stands.

In sport, Gould instigated the annual rowing eights “Great Race” between Waikato and the English universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as now the University of Washington in the United States. In 2004, a women’s eights event was added, with the winning team being awarded the Bryan Gould Cup.

“The profile the University enjoys today is in no small part the result of Bryan Gould’s leadership as Vice-Chancellor,” says present Chancellor John Jackman. “He was always comfortable in the public domain and became a regular and influential commentator for education. His voice was often heard on the radio and he regularly wrote columns for various publications.”

Born in Hawera, Gould obtained a Master of Laws degree with first-class honours from Auckland University before being awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, where he completed a Bachelor of Civil Law as well as a Master of Arts. For more than 30 years, he lived in England. He began his career working in the Foreign Office in London and Brussels and later served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament for a total of 14 years, during which time he held various shadow cabinet portfolios and directed two general election campaigns for the British Labour Party.

The Honorary Doctorate degree is among the most prestigious granted by the University of Waikato. The University Council confers the degree on exceptional individuals who are distinguished scholars, have shown strong interest in the well-being of the University, or have been of outstanding service to the community.

“Bryan Gould clearly meets all three criteria” says Mr Jackman.

ENDS

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