Lemn Sissay named in HM The Queen's Birthday Honours List

11 Jun 2021

Chancellor made OBE

The University of Manchester Chancellor, poet and playwright Lemn Sissay, has been awarded an OBE for services to Literature and Charity in HM The Queen's Birthday Honour's List.

Since taking up the Chancellorship in 2015, Lemn Sissay, who also has an MBE, has contributed to our University significantly on a local, national and international scale. 

In 2017 he launched the Lemn Sissay Law Bursaries, which aims to address underrepresentation of black males in the legal profession. Further afield, Lemn has helped our University expand our Equity and Merit Scholarships for funded master’s degrees to include prospective Ethiopian students.

The Sissay PhD Scholarship for Care Leavers has been running for six years and The Lemn Sissay Foundation, established in Manchester, organises Christmas dinners for care leavers in locations across the UK, including here in Manchester, Stockport and Wigan.

President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell said: “I’m sure I speak for our entire University community when I say this is a well-deserved honour for Lemn, and we offer him our warmest congratulations.

“His tireless work for literature goes hand in hand with his role as the University’s Chancellor where he has introduced The Lemn Sissay Law Bursary and was instrumental in extending our Equity and Merit Scholarships to master's students in Ethiopia.

“He is a well-loved member of the Manchester family and we’re delighted to see him get recognition for his work.”