Skip to main content
University of East London
  • Staff login
  • Student login
  • Study
    Study
    • COURSES
      • Undergraduate
      • Postgraduate
      • Advice for mature learners
      • Subjects
      • Apprenticeships
      • January starts
    • VISIT UEL
      • Open days and events
      • Our location
    • STUDENT INFORMATION
      • Student life
      • Current students
      • New students
      • Accommodation
      • Term dates
      • Fees and funding
      • Scholarships
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    January starts

    Study with us in January

    Explore now
    International Events

    We're here to support you, every step of the way.

    Check out our events
    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    Impact report

    UEL's economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impact

    What we're doing
  • International
    International
    • APPLYING
      • Advice for your region
      • Pre-degree courses
      • Visa and immigration advice
      • Transferring to UEL
      • International admission deadlines
      • Pre-sessional English
      • Malvern House pathway programmes
      • Contact our international team
    • STUDENT INFORMATION
      • Accommodation
      • Term dates
      • Fees and funding
      • Scholarships
    • VISIT UEL
      • Open days and events
      • Our location
      • Virtual open events
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    January starts

    Study with us in January

    Explore now
    International Events

    We're here to support you, every step of the way.

    Check out our events
    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    Impact report

    UEL's economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impact

    What we're doing
  • Your career
    Your career
    • STARTING YOUR CAREER
      • Career Zone
      • Explore your career
      • Career coaching and mentoring
    • GETTING A JOB
      • Meet employers
      • Be your own boss
      • Volunteering
      • Work while you study
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    January starts

    Study with us in January

    Explore now
    International Events

    We're here to support you, every step of the way.

    Check out our events
    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    Impact report

    UEL's economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impact

    What we're doing
  • Partners
    Partners
    • Partnerships at UEL
    • Train your workforce
    • Share your skills
    • Connect with our people
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    January starts

    Study with us in January

    Explore now
    International Events

    We're here to support you, every step of the way.

    Check out our events
    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    Impact report

    UEL's economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impact

    What we're doing
  • Our research
    Our research
    • Postgraduate research students
    • Research impact
    • Partnerships
    • REF 2021
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    January starts

    Study with us in January

    Explore now
    International Events

    We're here to support you, every step of the way.

    Check out our events
    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    Impact report

    UEL's economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impact

    What we're doing
  • About
    About
    • OUR UNIVERSITY
      • Our schools and subjects
      • Governance
      • Professional services
      • Our vision
      • Alumni
      • Sustainable Development Goals
    • GET INVOLVED
      • Events
      • News
    • TEACHING AND SUPPORT
      • How we teach
      • Mental wealth
      • External Examiner System
      • Find a staff member
    • GET IN TOUCH
      • Our location
      • Contact us
      • Venue hire
    • Why UEL?
    • Undergraduate prospectus
    • Postgraduate prospectus
    • Sport at UEL
    January starts

    Study with us in January

    Explore now
    International Events

    We're here to support you, every step of the way.

    Check out our events
    Are you an employer?

    Advertise a vacancy on our platform today.

    Get started
    REF 2021

    Read about our Research Excellence Framework submissions and results

    Impact case studies
    Impact report

    UEL's economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impact

    What we're doing
  • Home
  • About UEL
  • News

Engineering expert inspires students

Engineering expert urges students to 'build bridges'

Renowned professor inspires students after receiving honorary doctorate

See all of our news articles

Hero Carousel

Renowned professor inspires students after receiving honorary doctorate

See all of our news articles

Published

02 December 2021

Share

Share On Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn

The University of East London's latest honouree should know a thing or two about building bridges. The eminent academic is known around the world for his in-depth knowledge of the construction industry.

But Professor Roger Flanagan had more metaphorical - and more ambitious - bridges in mind when he addressed the graduating class of 2021 at the University of East London.

Professor Flanagan, who received an honorary doctorate in engineering from the University of East London at a ceremony at ExCeL London on Thursday 25 November, said he wanted to create a bridge that any student could emulate.

And he laid out his blueprint.

He said, "The foundation of my bridge is a strong belief in the value of education and research. The span is the ability for the education system - on one hand to produce tomorrow's leaders; and on the other to offer an education that is relevant to the industry it serves.

"The 'traffic' across this bridge to the future is the people who succeed in their chosen field and reach their potential in industry, or those who remain in academia to teach future industry employees and leaders, and who undertake research to help to solve problems and produce new materials and products for the future." 

Professor Flanagan began his academic career at Aston University following work in the construction industry. He is a Professor at the University of Reading, where he has been Dean of Faculty and Head of School. He is a visiting professor at the University of East London.

He is well known in the engineering and construction sector around the world, working for, among others, the United Nations, the World Bank and numerous governments.

He said he strongly believed that students should understand the real world of construction; an industry that presented many challenges and rewards.

Reflecting on his own life-long journey, Professor Flanagan told his audience, "I feel very humbled. I'm not a footballer, I'm not famous, I'm not an Olympic champion or TV personality or whatever, I'm the son of a bricklayer who came from Ireland.

"Education changed my life and my perspective on the world. The future is in your hands and you'll get out of life what you put into it and you can make a difference.

"Background doesn't matter. Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It's the courage to continue that counts."

He told students, "Go out and live your dreams and always be optimistic. Pessimists see difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty. But the most important thing is to have fun."

Share

Share On Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn

Communications team

Contact us for press and interview requests

 

+44 (0)20 8223 2911
pressoffice@uel.ac.uk

Help us make this site better by telling us what you think about this page

Social Media

Follow us on social media:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • TikTok

University of East London

University Way

London, E16 2RD

United Kingdom



T. +44 20 8223 3000


Explore UEL

  • About UEL
  • Take a virtual tour
  • Calendars
  • Accreditations
  • Freedom of information
  • Governance management
  • Services and departments
  • Find us
  • Contact us

The University

  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • News
  • Events
  • Jobs

University of East London

University Way

London, E16 2RD

United Kingdom



T. +44 20 8223 3000


Copyright ©2023 University of East London

  • Accessibility
  • Data protection
  • Sitemap
  • AccessAble
  • Modern slavery
  • Legal and compliance
  • Cookie settings
  • Privacy
back to top