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Shilpa Shetty has been awarded an honorary doctorate in arts degree by Leeds Met

Indian film star Shilpa Shetty has been awarded an honorary doctorate in arts by Leeds Metropolitan University as part of Summer Graduation celebrations. Ms Shetty was in Yorkshire for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend last month and attended the charity cricket match at Headingley Carnegie Stadium.

Shilpa received the Bachelor of Arts award watched by her proud mum.

Director of Student Centred Change at Leeds Met, Joy Kumar introduced Ms Shetty for the award for “making a difference to society and using all her talents to the full.”

Ms Shetty ended by telling her fellow graduands: "In life, do what you would expect other to do; if you see anyone suffering indignity, stand up for them."

Shilpa said: “I am so overwhelmed, I am choked with emotions and I can't stop smiling. I have won some awards, at the cost of sounding immodest, I have never seen my mother beam so much as she is today. I’m pleased to be part of the 2007 Leeds Met alumni.”

Addressing the graduands, Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Lee said: "Each graduating student will have found something in your curriculum, your degree course, and something in the wider life of the university and of this city where you have faced a personal challenge.

"We talk about rubbing shoulders with champions. In Shilpa Shetty, you are graduating in the company of someone who rose to a challenge with great dignity and poise, making a difference. "

Leeds Met is the official education partner of IIFA, offering students and staff the chance to rub shoulders with champions of Indian Cinema, particularly through the university’s Northern Film School. Indian star Amitabh Bachchan was awarded an honorary degree by Leeds Met ahead of the IIFA weekend to mark the pioneering partnership, which aims to strengthen educational, business, arts and sporting links with India. Two academic chairs are also being established; the IIFA Chair for Global Cinema, and an India 60 Chair celebrating 60 years of Indian independence.

The Acre at the university’s Headingley Campus is being transformed into a Graduation Village where more than 4,000 students will graduate over 4 days when Summer Graduation starts on 18 July. Check the website www.leedsmet.ac.uk/graduation for regular updates.

Leeds Met’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Lee is attending the ceremonies, which will be shown on the Big Screen in Millennium Square, Leeds. Graduations from all six of the university’s faculties will take place – The Carnegie Faculty of Sport & Education, Business & Law, Health, Arts & Society, Innovation North and the Leslie Silver International Faculty.

Throughout graduation the university will also be celebrating recent achievements such as being named the greenest university in the UK by People & Planet and gold and silver awards in ‘outstanding contribution to the community’ and ‘university of the year’ in the most recent Times Higher Awards.