Mick Donovan, Pro Vice Chancellor Partnerships at the University of Worcester, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours.
Mick has been recognised for services to inclusion in sport and education.
“I am thrilled to receive this award and receive recognition for the work that colleagues and I have done over may years to inspire and educate youngsters and practitioners in the UK and various parts of the world,” he said.
Originally a school PE teacher, Mick moved into higher education almost 30 years ago, where he has made a huge impact in the field of inclusion. He joined the University of Worcester in 2000 and went from Course Leader to Head of the School of Sport & Exercise Science, where he led on several initiatives aimed at increasing people’s participation in sport.
Mick was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the University of Worcester Arena, the first sports facility in the UK purpose-designed to include the wheelchair athlete, as well as an innovative and award-winning Learning through Sport programme, helping children prepare for Maths and English SATS tests, plus an MSc in European Basketball, and the establishment of a residential basketball camp in partnership with Valencia Basket.
One of Mick’s most notable achievements was in the co-founding of the Worcester Wolves Basketball Club. The team became known for its inclusive ethos, reaching into deprived communities in the Black Country, Birmingham and London.
The success of Worcester’s inclusive sport programme, including the creation of the Arena, has seen Mick being invited to speak worldwide, including at the Rio World Inclusion Summit in 2016. His skill in building partnerships led to Worcester becoming the partner University of choice for both China’s and Japan’s leading sports universities. Japan’s paralympic authorities visited Worcester no less than 7 times before the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics to learn from its success.
Mick is known for his ability to create purposeful, long lasting, positive partnerships. He currently serves as Pro Vice Chancellor Partnerships at the University, creating ladders to higher education in partnership with Further Education Colleges throughout the region. He is playing a key role in developing health education in the Black Country in partnership with Dudley College and as well as Halesowen, Sandwell and Walsall Colleges.
Professor David Green CBE DL, the University’s Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive said “Mick Donovan truly deserves this national award. Tens of thousands of children and young people have benefitted from Mick’s work, which continues to this day. He is simply brilliant in bringing people together to participate in sport, education and society.”