Honours for Rose Reilly and Mal Young among others

Nine honorary guests from a range of disciplines will be recognised at our winter graduations next week.

They will join 1,300 students graduating from Glasgow School for Business and Society, the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment and the School of Health and Life Sciences, at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on November 26 and 27.

Rose Reilly, the only Scottish footballer to win a World Cup, and described as Scotland's greatest ever female footballer, will be made a Doctor of the University later this month, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to women's football.

She said: "Being recognised by the University is a massive honour for me. Most of my awards have been in Italy, as that is where my career was based, so it is wonderful to be recognised in Scotland too, and my GCU honorary award is certainly up there with my induction into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame and also the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. I've had to overcome many hurdles in my career and my advice to anyone, particularly women and girls, facing barriers in any area of life, is not just simply to jump over them or get around them, but to smash them down if you can."

Hotelier Ken McCulloch, one of the most prominent figures in the hotel and restaurant industry in the UK, will receive a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the Scottish and UK hotel industry, displaying a passion for design, service and product development.

Executive producer Mal Young will receive a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to British television and his support of and commitment to GCU's MA TV Fiction Writing students.

Food industry expert Jane Milton will receive a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) for her outstanding contribution to the food industry and to supporting GCU students.

Paul Morron MBE, founder member of Victim Support in Scotland, and a criminal justice services expert, will receive a Doctor of Laws (LLD) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to criminal justice and social services.

Fiona McKenzie, co-founder and CEO of Centrestage, will receive a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to leadership development in young people through the arts and community engagement.

Former nursery headteacher Anne O'Grady will receive a Doctor of the University (DUniv) in recognition of her outstanding contribution to early years education and support of GCU's Caledonian Club initiative.

Dr Ichak Adizes, management expert, CEO and Founder of The Adizes Institute, will receive a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to management theory and practice worldwide.

Professor James McGoldrick, Shadow Chair Public Health Scotland and former Convenor of SSSC, will receive a Doctor of Science (DSc), in recognition of his outstanding contribution to strategic human resource development.