Corks pop as support staff are honoured

A university security chief is among the dozens of higher education employees featured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Bernadette Duncan, head of security at City University, London, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to higher education.

Ms Duncan, who is also head of telecommunications services and safety liaison at City, chaired the Association of Chief Security Officers for three years. She now runs its emergency management project, after successfully bidding for project funds last year from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Ms Duncan said: “I’m overwhelmed. It highlights that the support staff in universities are as important as the acdemic staff. I’m going to buy my team champagne.

“It’s great to be paid for a job that you enjoy doing, but when you get given an honour it’s absolutely thrilling to think that your colleagues appreciate you and have taken the time to put you up for it.”
Margaret Scully, who has worked at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, for more than 40 years, was also appointed MBE. In her early days she looked after one of the college houses and, with her husband, took care of the students lodging there. Ms Scully is now a scout, a staff member responsible for cleaning and maintaining students’ rooms and serving at table.

Five academics, including David Melville, vice-chancellor of Kent University, were knighted this year. Diana Green, vice-chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, and Geoffrey Copland, vice-chancellor of Westminster University, were both appointed CBEs.