The University of Abertay Dundee welcomed four new Honorary Fellows at a ceremony on Saturday 27 October 2007.
The two men and two women were honoured for their outstanding contributions to Abertay and life at the university.
William Spence, Ian Ivory, Lady Fiona Fraser and Alison Armstrong received their fellowships during Saturday’s ceremony at the Hannah Maclure Centre.
Welcoming the four to the Abertay community Principal and Vice-Chancellor Bernard King said: “I congratulate each new Honorary Fellow most warmly, and I thank them for their many contributions totalling nearly 50 years of service.
“The Honorary Fellowship is a very important part of the Abertay extended family; we value the Honorary Fellowship greatly and we are very proud to have such friends with their extraordinary range of experience and expertise.
“I am delighted that it has been possible to recognise the very great contributions that Bill, Ian, Fiona and Alison have made to helping us to be the institution we are today.”
Former Chief Constable of Tayside Police William Spence served on Abertay’s Court for five years between 1996 and 2001.
After joining Renfrew and Bute Constabulary as a cadet in 1961 he was seconded to the University of Strathclyde where he graduated with an LLB in 1976.
He also gained a BA in Social Sciences and Urban Development at the Open University in 1978.
Mr Spence rose rapidly through the ranks and was selected to serve as Assistant Chief Constable of Strathclyde in 1986.
Two years later he was appointed Deputy Chief Constable of Tayside Police. After completing the Chief Officers Course at the Police Staff College in Bramshill Mr Spence became Chief Constable of the force in 1995.
Delivering the oration for Bill Spence, Professor Steve Olivier said: “As a small University Abertay has benefited from a disproportionately large measure of influence and expertise on our Court.
“The contribution that Bill Spence has made to our institution is evidence of this, and our maturing as a university is the result of the sort of advice that he has been able to give us over the years.
“In a personal sense, those who know Bill will attest not only to his wry sense of humour, and his inexhaustible fund of interesting stories, but also to his essential humanity and compassion.”
Ian Ivory is a chartered accountant who spent three years in Australia where he worked in merchant banking. On his return to the UK in 1970 Mr Ivory worked in investment management until 1999.
He is currently Chairman of the Finsbury Worldwide Pharmaceutical Trust Plc and a Director of Hardy Underwriting Plc.
Mr Ivory served as a member of the University Court for 12 years between January 1995 and December 2006.
In his oration for Ian Ivory, Professor Nicholas Terry said: “What Ian is remembered for most at Abertay is his 12 years of masterly service as a member of University Court, and acting as Chairman of one of Court’s most powerful committees, Finance, Personnel and General Purposes.
“In the capacity both of Court member and Committee chairman, Ian always acted in a dedicated, thorough and supportive manner for which the University is extremely grateful.”
Alison Armstrong has forged a successful career in software development since graduating from Glasgow University in 1967.
She has taken a number of high profile roles with innovative companies including the Rolls Royce Aero Engine Division in Derby, air traffic control systems manufacturers Cossor Electronics, and their subsidiary companies.
Between 1996 and 2003 Alison served on the board of Scottish Enterprise Tayside and was Chair of their Audit Committee from 2002 to 2003.
She is also a member of the board for the Tayside Small Business Gateway and was a member Abertay’s Court between 1995 and 2006.
Delivering the oration for Alison Armstrong, Professor John Palfreyman said: “In January 1995 Alison joined the Court of Abertay and very quickly established herself as a perceptive and challenging court member.
“Indeed more than 10 years on you will hear our Principal, and Vice Chancellor, refer to a particularly probing question as ‘a question Alison Armstrong would have been proud of’.
“Alison made us concentrate on the core business but without ever losing sight of the vision and dynamism that are associated with our University.
“The new facility of Whitespace, where Court met this morning, will be a long term reminder of the thinking that Alison brought to Abertay.”
Lady Fiona Fraser has a long standing commitment to charitable work starting in 1994 when she acted as Scottish Appeals Manager for Cancer Research. Up to 2002 she and her colleagues raised around £6 million to fund cancer research centres in Edinburgh and Dundee.
Lady Fraser has a number of other interests including the Amy Barnet Skea Charitable Trust, the Ninewells cancer Campaign and the Scottish Children in Need and Appeals Advisory Committee.
She was appointed to serve on the University Court in 1994 and served until 2006 during which time she sat on the Audit Committee, the Remuneration Committee, the Appointment Committee and the Disciplinary Committee. Lady Fraser is currently Honorary President of Abertay’s Alumni Association.
In his oration for Lady Fraser, Depute Principal Ivor Lloyd said: “Here at Abertay we know Fiona pretty well. Her association with us spans 14 years in three quite distinct phases – as a student, as a member of Court and as a fundraising consultant.
“If Fiona is enthusiastic about something and commits to it, she has the stamina, staying power and determination to make it happen. She has applied these characteristics to the benefit of the University, giving her time freely.
“She has been an integral part of the University’s success story in its first ten years. We have many reasons to be genuinely grateful to Fiona for her contribution to the University.”
For further information please contact Tracey McNeish on 01382 308 935.