FORMER US Open champion Graeme McDowell said he was delighted to be finally graduating — a decade after dropping out of university to pursue his sporting career.

The Portrush golfer gowned up to join University of Ulster Chancellor and actor James Nesbitt for the ceremony in Coleraine yesterday.

>>Scroll down for full list of graduations<<

The 31-year-old said he was “thrilled” that his mother had at last seen him graduate.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph after becoming an honorary Doctor of Science, he said: “I never managed to graduate from college — golf took over and I took a leap into the dark side.

“I never thought I’d see the day when I was graduating. I spent a year at Queen’s studying mechanical engineering.

“I made that big decision in my life to put academic studies on the back burner even though I was always quite academic — I have three As and one B at A-Level.

“My mum never got the chance to see me graduate and this is the next best thing here today. It is a real honour.” He said the honorary degree was a real privilege, particularly as it was being conferred in his own back yard.

“This is up there with my MBE and it’s one of the things that I am most proud of in the past 12 months.

“A lot of good things have come my way and this is a very proud moment.”

His proud parents Kenny and Marian added: “We are so proud of Graeme. It is fantastic being here today, you couldn’t put it into words.”

Speaking about his year-long reign as US Open champion, Graeme said he had been nominated for and won “an incredible amount of awards”.

He said he was delighted to see his friend and fellow Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy take the US Open trophy this year.

“It is unbelievable that I am handing my mantle 45 minutes down the road to Holywood — this is really big for Northern Ireland, when you look at statistics and the probability of having two in a row winners from here.”

Graham was there to witness Rory sweep to victory in Maryland.

“We are pretty good friends, and if it wasn’t me that won this year then the next best thing was for Rory to do it,” he said.

Chancellor James Nesbitt has just returned from the first phase of filming on Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit in New Zealand.

He said he was delighted to welcome Graeme into the distinguished group of honorary graduates at the university.

Mr Nesbitt said: “We cannot overestimate what he has achieved.

“He is someone who had the arrogance to take on the world and beat them, but who has the humility to conduct himself with such dignity. This could not be given to a nicer fellow.”

ACCESS and DISTRIBUTED LEARNING

Master of Science in Higher Educational Practice

Pass

Fiona Patricia McCloy

Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Educational Practice

Pass

Helen Byrne

Paula Marie O'Kane

FACULTY OF ARTS

Doctor of Philosophy

Pass

Elizabeth Mary Lake

Master of Arts in American Studies

Pass

Matthew James Gilmour

Joan Yvonne Morrison

Master of Arts in Cultural |Heritage and Museum Studies

Pass

Jonathan Magee

Master of Arts in Modern Irish

With Distinction

Pádraig Ó Baoighill

Fiachra Liam Ó Donghaile

Pass

Niall Gerard Loughran

Lorcán Micheal Mac Gabhann

Marcas Barra Lee Mac Ruairí

Maíre Uí Cheallaigh

Post Graduate Diploma in Modern Irish

Pass

Philip Sheerin

Bachelor of Arts with |Honours in Humanities

First Class Honours

Louise Canavan

Frances Kearney

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Carol Katherine Brontë

Bernadette Downey

Milena Krzyminska

Stephen Edward McComish

Olivia Morgan

Ciara Murphy

Linda Nugent

Mary O'Hagan

Patrycja Teszbir

Second Class Honours

Lower Division

Hilary Ballance

Denise Bernadette Callan

Louise Mallon

Edel Moley

Ann Marie Murtagh

Bachelor of Arts with |Honours in Irish Language and Literature

First Class Honours

Ciaran Andrew Hegarty

Ursula Anne McCarthy

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Pauline Dowd

Padraig Seosamh MacFhearraigh

Raymond James McCallin

William George McKinney

Laureen O'Loan

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Sean Hayes

Susan McCormack

Certificate of Higher Education in Modern and |Contemporary Literature

With Distinction

Kelly Ann McCaughrain

With Commendation

Brenda Rose Brady

Clare Hassan

Thomas Robert Lowe

Isobel Patricia McComb

Anne McLaughlin

Diploma in French

With Distinction

Heather Lamb

Rachel Monaghan

With Commendation

Ciara Mallon

Pass

Jack O'Shea

Diploma in German

With Distinction

Peter James Cooke

Pol O Muiri

Diploma in Irish |Language

With Commendation

Julie Ann Agnew

Bernard Ephrem Bogues

Cormac Carmichael

Stephen Patrick Duffin

Teresa Johnston

Roismaire Lyness

Katrina McAuley

Sally McAuley

Róisín McCann

Laura McFarlane

Eileen McKeever

John Joseph McShane

Kevin Murphy

Anton Duffy O'Callaghan

Patrick Steven O'Dowd

Eugene O'Kane

Kevin Patrick O'Shaughnessy

Claire Catherine Rafferty

Pass

John Francis Lyness

FACULTY OF ART, DESIGN AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Doctor of Philosophy

Pass

Farid Wajdi Akashah

Jo Briggs

Colin Robert Darke

Catherine Mary Elizabeth Devlin

Angela Halliday

Colin John Geoffrey Hillis

Gregory McCartney

Michael McCord

Ronan McCrea

Ailbhe Murphy

Emma Nichols

Patrick Duane Quinlan

Reynaldo Ramos

Master of Architecture

Pass

Andrew Stuart Baldwin

Matthew Robert James Bishop

Evana Bjourson

Ciaran Paul Brown

James Joseph Donaghy

Brian Joseph Donnelly

Aoife Ferris

Sean Patrick Finan

Roy Fitzpatrick

Elaine Kathleen Harley

Claire Heeney

Ivor Hession

Catriona Hickey

Ryan Anthony Hughes

Edel McAleer

Laura McAteer

Jonathan William McGrandle

Vincent McIlduff

David Jonathan McIlroy

Andrew John Molloy

Neil Anthony O'Rourke

Jason Henry Scammell

Niall Scullion

Fiona Shannon

Darren Yiu Chung Wong

Master of Arts in Art in Public

With Distinction

Anthony Champa

Pass

Michael Alan Bulfin

Jennifer Teresa Bernadette Caffrey

Catriona Ryan

Celia Kaye Spouncer

Master of Arts in |Multi-Disciplinary Design

With Distinction

Samantha Moore

Danny Turley

Pass

Jonathan Patrick Campbell

Caroline Georgina Hepburn

Siobhan Christine Rodgers

Pamela Avril Topping

Master of Fine Art

With Distinction

Alastair Robert Freeburn

Alissa Suze Kleist

Cathal Youdes McGinley

Tim Millen

Nadine Nicole Stewart

Pass

Cherith Elizabeth Ann Brown

Lesley Cherry

Alice Clark

Rebecca Coffey

Lynn Clodagh Cromie

Martin Anthony Kinlough

Ruaidhri Lennon

Julie Anne Lovett

Laura O'Connor

Master of Fine Art in |Photography

With Distinction

Clare Gallagher

Noel Nasr

Pass

Laurentia Campbell

Margaret Anne Cassidy

Laura Curran

Gavin Devine

Timothy Alexander Doak

Robert Ellis

Michael Farrelly

Marike Gort

Andrew Paul Horsman

Anne McCullough

Christine Madeleine Redmond

Anthony Rush

Master of Landscape |Architecture

Pass

Phillip Victor Evans

Master of Science |in Architectural Studies

Pass

Catalina Maria Jaramillo

Post Graduate Diploma in|Art in Public

Pass

Alice Dixon

Post Graduate Diploma in Multi-Disciplinary Design

Pass

Caroline Emma Maureen Smith

Bachelor of Arts with |Honours in Fine and Applied Arts and Diploma in Area Studies

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Rebecca Elizabeth Killen

Bachelor of Arts with |Honours in Architecture

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Kathy Craig

Jennifer Mary Isobel Fisher

Conor Henry Gallagher

Sara Siobhan Love

Stephanie Magilton

Eva Claire McGowan

Ruth Angela McIntyre

Cathal Peter Quinn

Christopher Watson

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Robert Booth

Andrew Brown

Michelle Rose Canning

Niamh Ann Conlon

Caroline Margaret Gillespie

Mark Hackett

Richard David Hall

Sarah Nicole Kennedy

Christina Kerr

Claire Mary McAteer

Tara Teresa Mary McGlynn

Sarah Elizabeth Mitchell

Claire Louise Smith

Kerry Symington

Third Class Honours

Rona Catherine Jackson

Laura Mc Dermott

John Michael McGinty

Bachelor of Arts with |Honours in Fine and |Applied Arts

First Class Honours

Agnieszka Maria Bochenska

Emma Kathryn Boyd

Amy Louise Brooks

Sarah Crooks

Tara Fitzsimons

Belinda Loftus

David Frederick Mahon

Claire Muckian

Gemma Scott

Anne-Marie Taggart

Ross Watson

Second Class Honours

Upper Division

Rachael Ann Adair

Kathryn Bannister

Jennifer Jayne Bell

Amanda Mary Brooke

Stuart Calvin

Chris Chalmers

Jayne Cherry

Sharon Lesley Dorman

Sarah Dowey

Catherine Anne Duddy

Mark Dungey

Catherine Ellis

Sarah Flynn

Ciera Elaine Freeburn

Ciaran Gallagher

Denise Gray

Ciaran Hagan

Julie Marie Hanson

Kathryn Louise Hutchinson

Joanne Irvine

Kylie Louise Irwin

Joanne Kelly

Laura Maria Killen

Melanie Lyttle

Ryan Joseph Mc Donald

Aine Mc Guinness

Janet McNeill

Shannon Elizabeth McShane

Lorraine Molloy

Nicola Mary Moran

Janet Morris

Paul Edward Morrison

Sara Frances Rafferty

Nichola Michelle Reid

Michael Colin Philip Robb

Margaret Denise Robinson

Emily Michelle Robinson

Glenda Aileen Rolston

Kathryn Sharkey

Jenny Sharratt

Andrew Shields

Diane Spratt

Mary Stevens

Graeme Hugh Tacey

Clare Emma Thompson

Kylie Danielle Ward

Jessica Whitall

Sarah Louise Wieghell

Caran Fiona Winchester

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Noel Christopher Barr

Ciaran Barras

Laura Bradley

Matthew Aloysius Brett

Natasha Christine Browne

Gareth Clarke

Victoria Joy Lorraine Clarke

Alana Coleman

Ciara Bridget Dawson

Lara Deehan

Charlene Doyle

Lesley Falls

Alan Louis Frame

Emma Doreen Hawthorne

Judith Killough

Daniel Wayne Kingsberry

Kirsty Heather Lee

Charles Logan

Áine Lynn

Claire McConnell

John Ryan Hugh McCormick

Janine McCrystal

Kathryn McGreevy

Laura McLauchlan

Amy Mulholland

Sandra Patterson

Janine Rennie

George Roe

Michael Shearer

Linda Smyth

Simon James Taylor

Jordan Todd

Cynara Turner

Frances Harriet Webb-Crozier

Bachelor of Arts with |Honours in Photography

First Class Honours

Holly Anderson

Samantha Dukelow

Christina Edlinger

Alberto Maserin

James McKeever

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Geraldine Boyle

Maria Isabella Breen

Louise Cunningham

Julie Ailson Douglas

Hayley Elizabeth Mary Guiseley

Patrick Kelly

Lauren Mason

John McCune

Laura McDowell

Carrie McKee

Anthony O'Prey

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Christopher David Craig

Susan Teresa Donnelly

Helen Lynsey Semple Elwood

James David Forde Hunter

Loretta Mary Hurson

Bachelor of Design |with Honours in 3D Design (Interior, Product and Furniture) and Diploma in Area Studies

First Class Honours

Rachel Laura Ballantine

Emma-Jayne Cousins

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Deirdre Swail

Bachelor of Design with |Honours in Design for Visual Communication and |Diploma in Area Studies

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Laura Eleanor McAleer

Christina Stern

Laura Anne Thompson

John Patrick Wynne

Bachelor of Design with |Honours in Textiles and Fashion Design and Diploma in Area Studies

First Class Honours

Sinead McCahey

Bachelor of Design with |Honours in Design for Visual Communication and Diploma in Industrial Studies

First Class Honours

Rachael Keys

Amy Louise McArthur

Jonathan McKee

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Danni Yvonne Gowdy

Ashleigh Jayne Grant

Roy Henry

Tierna Magee

Kristofor Roberts

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Dale Blackwood

Tara Jamison

Bachelor of Design with |Honours in Textiles and Fashion Design and Diploma in Industrial Studies

First Class Honours

Jayne Bristow

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Adam James Crooks

Jill Irwin

Bachelor of Design with |Honours in 3D Design (Interior, Product and Furniture)

First Class Honours

Victor Branco

Christopher James Cooper

Susan Alexandra Jarrold

Stuart Mark McIwaine

Elizabeth Miskimmon

Maris Mortukans

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Stephen Kerr

Christine Cheryl Alana McCullough

Sarah-Louise Wright

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Claire Mary Boyle

Aaron Burns

Sarah Doherty

Steven John Fox

Nathan Birney Jones

Ashlyn King

Maria Mc Dowell

Ross William Murray

Michael Geoffrey Nevin

Robert Walker

Morgan Watson

James Alexander Williams

Third Class Honours

Adam Frank Hamilton

Bachelor of Design with |Honours in Design for Visual Communication

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Dale Hawkes

Rachel Hood

Angela Drew Mahon

James Alexander McCooke

Jason Patrick O'Neill

Celina Julia Stretz

Second Class Honours |Lower Division

Aine Bannon

Mark Edward Doherty

Nicola Doole

Daniel Joseph Farnan

Paula Gray

Mark Hamilton

Owen Magee

Adam McCormick

Emma Claire McCully

William McKee

Lesley Millar

Gerard Rory Murphy

Anthony Rice

Micaela Sherry

Glen Young

Third Class Honours

Noel William Allen

Peter Andrew Thomas Carruthers

Bachelor of Design with |Honours in Textiles and Fashion Design

First Class Honours

Sinead Mary Laverty

Nuala McCloskey

Second Class Honours |Upper Division

Caroline Bradley

David Henderson

Claire Yvonne Kennedy

Caroline Martin

Michelle McGee

Martina Mc Gill

Krystyna Scullion |continued on page 20