The Hall elects new Honorary Fellows

The College’s Governing Body is delighted to announce the election of five new Honorary Fellows of St Edmund Hall, each of them distinguished in their respective fields, which include journalism, law, politics, literature and medicine. Those elected are all alumni of the Hall.

Samira Ahmed (pictured) commented “It’s a huge honour to receive this. My tutors at St Edmund Hall were instrumental in making me the journalist I am. They taught me to focus on looking at the evidence, analysing it carefully, trusting my instincts and being true to my values. There was a fundamental sense of equality and fairness in how I was treated as a student which has been valuable for life. The Honorary Fellowship suddenly opens up new horizons for me to think about research and new writing. I am very grateful for the opportunity.”

Samira Ahmed (1986, English) in recognition of her work as an award-winning journalist with 20 years’ experience in both the print and broadcast media. She began her career as a BBC News Trainee and has worked as a News Correspondent and a reporter on the Today programme and Newsnight. She is a Visiting Professor of Journalism at Kingston University and her work explores the relationship between popular culture, politics and social change. She currently presents Front Row and Newswatch and won a Stonewall Broadcast of the Year award while working for Channel 4 News.

Dame Sarah Asplin QC DBE (1982, Bachelor of Civil Law) in recognition of her distinguished career in the British Judiciary system; she was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn in 1984, and has been a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, since 2012.

The Rt Hon David Gauke MP (1990, Jurisprudence) in recognition of his distinguished career in law and government. He is currently the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and Secretary of State for Justice, the first solicitor to hold the post. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 General Election as member for Hertfordshire South West. He has variously served on the Procedure Select Committee, the Treasury Select Committee, as Shadow Treasury Minister on the Opposition front bench in 2008. He was re-elected in the 2010 General Election and appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. In 2016 he was made a member of the Privy Council and made Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In 2017 he was made Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Mervyn Morris OM (1958, English) in recognition of his work to promote creative writing and West Indian literature in Jamaica. He is the author of five collections of poems, and has also written non-fiction, and has edited books on Jamaican poets, West Indian cricket, and short stories. He was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 2009, and was appointed Poet Laureate of Jamaica in 2014, the first to be accorded the title since the country’s independence.

Dr Sundeep Dhillon MBE (1988, Medicine) in recognition of his distinguished career in the British Army as a military GP in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans and the Congo; and for his subsequent work at the Centre for Altitude Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE Medicine) at University College London in understanding human biology at extremes, including altitude, heat and cold; and for his achievements in the world of extreme mountaineering – in 1998 he became the youngest person in the world to climb the highest mountain on each continent, The Seven Summits.

The Hall’s forty-one Honorary Fellows represent a wide variety of achievements and experiences.