University of Reading Alumni and Supporters

⏰ Set your alarms for 8.30pm tonight - 23 September - to support the University of Reading on ! Tune in to cheer on the team as they take on the competition.

Who is on Team Reading?
- Rhiannon Snook, PhD in Philosophy
- Stuart Rock, Masters in History
- Kissani Selvaramesh, UG in Biomedical Sciences
- Josh Finkelstein - Masters in Agricultural Economics

Catch the action tonight at 8.30pm on BBC 2 and let’s make some noise for Reading! 🎉

And it's not just Sustainable University of the Year 👇👀

We’re very proud to be named Sustainable University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025🏆

Having also leapt into the Top 25 in the overall UK rankings, the University received praise for the ‘impressive’ headway made towards becoming one of the greenest universities in the world.

The latest recognition adds to our:
🏆 Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Climate Research and Action
🏆 1st in the People and Planet University League 2023
🏆 THE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership

Congratulations to everyone in the University of Reading community for their continued commitment to creating a greener future, for people and the planet.

Find out more https://rdg.ac/4daSxXr

Join us next month for the Annual Cottingham Lecture: "Meaning and the Good Life," delivered by the esteemed Prof. Roger Crisp from St Anne's College, Oxford.

Dive into the depths of moral philosophy as we explore what it truly means to live a good life.

🗓 Date: Thursday 24 October
📍 Location: Room 109, Palmer Building, Whiteknights Campus
⏰ Time: 6-7.30pm (light refreshments from 5.30pm)

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with one of the leading minds in the field. Book your space now - www.reading.ac.uk/alumni/events/2024/Annual-Cottingham-Lecture---Meaning-and-the-Good-Life

Admission is free, booking essential.

Calling all alumni in Uzbekistan! The British Council in Uzbekistan is inviting UK graduates to an an event on 21st September to connect with fellow alumni, share experiences, and take part in an amazing programme of learning and development designed to boost your professional skills and set you on the road to success.

Register for your place now at https://rdg.ac/4dgX76y

Some Paws-itively exciting Monday news!

A huge congratulations to Olga and her amazing dog, Simba, for achieving their 5th Guinness World Record right here on Whiteknights Campus! Simba set the record for the fastest time to traverse 5 standing bars — done on the bike racks outside the Psychology Building!

A tail-wagging accomplishment, if we do say so ourselves 🐾🏆

We're proud to share that following a vote by University staff, our inaugural Charity of the Year is...

The Rainbow Trust Children's Charity! 🌈

Rainbow Trust support families caring for a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness. Family Support Workers provide a lifeline to struggling families, offering practical and emotional support, whenever it is needed for as long as it is needed.

The charity will engage with and be supported by the University in a variety of ways throughout the 2024/25 academic year – starting in September.

Learn more https://rdg.ac/46uyWzQ

🌟🎉 What a night in Kuala Lumpur!

The University of Reading hosted a memorable alumni reception, bringing together nearly 100 graduates from Reading and the Henley Business School. It was a fantastic evening of reconnecting, networking, and celebrating our global community. Here’s to the incredible connections and shared memories! 🥂✨

Read all about it on CONNECTED: rdg.ac/3AV7UWt

🎉📚 A heartfelt reunion alert!

A group of University of Reading graduates who first met at Mansfield Hall 50 years ago gathered once again to celebrate their incredible journey. From cherished memories to lifelong friendships, their bond remains as strong as ever. Here’s to 50 years of shared experiences and enduring connections! 🥂✨

Read about the Mansfield Hall reunion on CONNECTED: https://rdg.ac/3ZeuN1p

🏀✨ Barry Huxley, Reading grad and former England basketball star, is taking a trip down memory lane - from unforgettable moments at Bulmershe College to a remarkable sporting, teaching and coaching career.

Recently, he reunited with his old basketball team to play once again, reliving those cherished memories on the court.

Read Barry's story in CONNECTED - rdg.ac/4dUXbtH

🏅🌍 Huge congratulations to University of Reading geography student Ed Fuller for winning gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four event!

🥇🚣‍♂️ Ed’s dedication and hard work have truly paid off, and we’re incredibly proud of this outstanding achievement. Here’s to more amazing victories ahead! 🎉👏

Read his story on CONNECTED: https://rdg.ac/47nCkwE

Photo credit: imagecomms

🎓🌟 Huge congratulations to Ginny Rhodes, Reading graduate and CEO of The Circle Trust, on being awarded an honorary degree in recognition of her outstanding services to local schools! 🎉📚

Ginny’s dedication and visionary leadership has transformed countless lives, and this honour is a testament to her tireless commitment to education. From inspiring students to empowering teachers, her impact is felt across our entire community.

Here’s to Ginny’s incredible achievements and the bright future she continues to shape for our local schools. 🌟👏

Read Ginny's story on CONNECTED - https://rdg.ac/3MZC3XL

Did you see us at Reading Pride🏳️‍🌈

We've got our banners and flags ready for Reading Pride.🌈

Staff and students from the University of Reading will be at Reading Pride's Love Unites Parade and Festival 2024 this Saturday at King’s Meadow, along with Reading Students' Union. So, come and join us for the parade and then come and say hello at our stall.

🎵 He's one of our own, he's one of our owwwwnn...

Join us in getting behind Reading student, Ed Fuller, who is preparing to represent Great Britain in the PR3 mixed 4+ at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Ed, who rows for Reading University Boat Club begins his quest for gold at 12.10pm tomorrow afternoon (Friday). Tune in to Channel 4 to get behind the GB Rowing Team.

Find out more https://rdg.ac/3XnbbXu

Our beautiful campus never disappoints!

Do you have any snaps of the campus from your time at Reading? Comment them below.

And that’s a wrap. With the Paris Games coming to a close, we spoke to Olympic Bronze Medallist and Reading alum, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, about her incredible rowing journey.

“Over a week later and it still feels very surreal,” she shared. “It’s been incredible to be part of such an amazing team. I’m so grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way. Thank you for every clap, cheer and message, and to those who picked me up again and again and told me it was possible.”

Mathilda told us that her biggest highlights were seeing all her friends and family in the grandstand as she was walking to the podium, and having her son Freddie there watching her in the final.

“Although Freddie doesn’t really understand what the Olympics is, it was incredible for me to have him there with me.” She said. “We were given a little cuddly Olympic mascot which I gave to Freddie and he is now obsessed with it. He thinks it’s a chicken. Seeing how happy getting ‘chicken’ made him highlighted just how special Paris was.”

Read more about Mathilda’s journey on Connected - rdg.ac/3YeORQE

Photo credit: Steve McArthur

“All our achievements as a University are the result of our whole community – including our alumni – working together to help us achieve our mission, to help people change the world through research and education."

On Wednesday 7 August 2024 Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Van de Noort, hosted a memorable alumni reception in Kuala Lumpur - bringing together over one hundred University of Reading and Henley Business School graduates.

The reception saw over six decades of graduates come together, from the 1970s through to those who graduated just last year - highlighting the longstanding bond that the University has with Malaysia.

As the Vice-Chancellor addressed the room, he reminded us of the collective role our alumni community plays in making the University the success it is.

Following a nail-biting Euros for England fans, University of Reading graduate and BBC Sport producer, Phil Bigwood, chatted all things Reading and sports.

From winning trophies for St Andrew’s Hall, to Match of the Day, the Olympics, World Cups and UEFA Euro 2024 – Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Reading graduate, Phil, doesn’t take his dream job for granted, even thirty years on.

Read Phil’s story now: https://rdg.ac/3SkXDJb

Following our summer graduations, CONNECTED speaks to Martin Andrews who has celebrated graduation with Reading not once, but twice.

Discover more about Martin’s story: https://rdg.ac/3YfA4VO

Congratulations to Dr Wesley Watkins, founder of a jazz inspired democracy, who has received an honorary degree from the University of Reading.

Dr Wesley Watkins, known as ‘Dr Wes’, is the founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project, a music integrated curriculum that utilises jazz as a metaphor to bring American democratic ideals to life. He received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters in a ceremony on Tuesday 23 July.

Watkins interest in jazz pedagogy started in his undergraduate studies, and developed through his PhD from the International Centre for Research in Music Education at the University of Reading. He now teaches learners of all ages, from elementary and secondary level schools in the US to colleges and universities, and also trains other educators in the use of jazz and democracy pedagogy.

Dr Rebecca Berkley, from the Institute of Education, London Road Campus, University of Reading, said: “Wesley Watkins argues that we should think of the democratic process not as a state to be reached and preserved, but a process with which you constantly engage. A bit like jazz itself.

“His work teaches children how they can show their disagreement, without conflict, through the democratic process. It opens discussions of ethics with children, exploring ways to express your views through politics, the legal process, and co-operation in society, and how checks and balances exist in democratic organisations to avoid a single majority voice shouting down the freedom of other citizens.

"In honouring Wesley with this degree, we recognise the great service he is doing to educate us all in democratic thinking and promoting jazz as an art form.”

Learn more at https://rdg.ac/4d30UoY

Congratulations to education pioneer David Masua, who was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Reading.

Masua, the Chief Executive Officer of Windle Trust International, a UK charity working in the East and Horn of Africa dedicated to expanding access to and improving the quality of education, received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters in a ceremony on Thursday 18 July.

His own experience of living in refugee camps in the Congo and Uganda, and seeing first hand how education for children in those circumstances wasn’t taken seriously, inspired him to be a passionate education advocate across the globe and he has been influential in expanding access to education for refugees, the displaced, girls and young women across Uganda, Sudan and South Sudan.

Dr Sarah Cardey, School of Agriculture, Policy & Development at the University of Reading, said: “In the context of a world struggling with deep challenges, change makers like David Masua are invaluable in challenging inequality, creating opportunity, and showing us that positive change is possible.”

Learn more about David Masua's inspirational work at https://rdg.ac/3LM77Jz

Medals-galore for Team GB's rowers 🤩

We are so proud of Reading alum, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, and Becky Wilde, who won a brilliant bronze with a scintillating performance in the final of the Women's Double Sculls.

Mathilda, who has made history by becoming the first British mum to win an Olympic rowing medal, spoke to us ahead of the games about how motherhood has given her a better perspective on life but also made her more determined.

Asked by BBC Sport this morning what her medal proved, she said it was "completely possible" to balance being a mother with taking part in elite sport.

Read her full inspiring story now: https://rdg.ac/3YeORQE

📸: Steve Mcarthur

Reading alumnus Mark Ace shares the priceless feeling he got from being reunited with his St Patrick’s Hall gang to celebrate four decades since their graduation.

Discover more about Mark’s story: https://rdg.ac/3WlPZzi

Congratulations to University of Reading alumna, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, on her performance with Rebecca Wilde in the women’s double sculls.

Mathilda and Becky finished second in the Olympics semi-finals earlier today and will be competing in the final on Thursday!

🏆 Good luck Mathilda and Becky!

📢 Follow the latest from Paris: https://rdg.ac/4fmtBP9
👉 Or discover more about Mathilda’s journey https://rdg.ac/3YeORQE

📸 Photo credit: Benedict Tufnell