Honorary fellowships

A Fellow is a person of eminence who has made a significant and distinguished contribution to the industries and professions associated with the work of the Royal Agricultural University.

Fellowships are normally awarded at the annual Graduation ceremony for the award of degrees.

2021

Sarah Tennant-Bell 

After spending 14 years as a full-time mum looking after her own three children, Sarah joined the RAC’s Registry team in 2004 as  an Examinations Officer. 

A year later, encouraged by students to apply, Sarah took the position of Student Liaison Officer responsible for student welfare, student discipline and the Student Union, leading a team of elected SU Officers. 

Sarah’s remit was diverse. From supporting and encouraging students in distress, co-ordinating the annual SU events calendar, facilitating student disciplinaries, or cheering students on at a range of fundraising events and sporting fixtures – no two days were the same.

Sarah fostered a sense of community amongst the student body and was committed to improving ‘Town and own’ relationships, joining several local groups, and forming good working relationships with the Police and Town Councils. A highlight remains working with students to renovate the garden at Kemble Railway Station Garden, formally opened by HRH The Prince of Wales.

Sarah left full-time RAU employment in 2015 but continues to support the Student Union in an advisory capacity, including health and safety and event management. Since September 2020, Sarah has been employed as the RAU’s Acting Head of Student Services – with students and their welfare continuing to remain at the heart of everything Sarah does.

The Earl Bathurst MRAC, RAU Vice-President

Allen, 9th Earl Bathurst, was born in March 1961, educated at Harrow School, Wye College London University, Agricultural Economics and the Royal Agricultural College, Advanced Farm Management. 

He joined Smiths Gore from 1984 to 1987 as a land agent before returning home to run Cirencester Park Farms Ltd with two dairy herds and arable land covering 2,700 acres.

With the closure of the two dairies in 2000 and the installation of a grain store, additional land was added; in 2013, Kemble Farms was purchased, including a dairy herd of 900 cows with a total now of 7,000 acres. Lord Bathurst became a Governor of the RAC in 2001 and served on a number of subcommittees including the Environmental Sustainability Strategy Group. In 2016, Lord Bathurst stepped down as a Governor and was invited to become one of the two new Vice-Presidents of the University –  a position that he is honoured to hold. Lord Bathurst is a Company Director of Bathurst Development Limited overseeing the development of 2,350 houses and a neighbourhood community centre to the east of the University and Chesterton.

He is involved with local charities and is committed to the countryside, setting up the Cotswold Show in 1989. He is President of Gloucestershire’s Farming Wildlife Advisory Group, Royal Forestry Society, and many other organisations. Lord Bathurst is married to Sara, a former High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, his son Lord Apsley had a career in the Royal Marines and now works independently, and on the Estate. His daughter Rosie runs a cake-baking business.

Tiger Wang BSc, MSc, PhD

Tiger Wang studied an MBA at the RAU between 2001-2003 and has been active as an entrepreneur in the higher education sector between the UK and China since then.

Tiger co-founded Sino Campus International Education in 2011 and led the formation of NCEE (China) as a platform for introducing enterprise education into Chinese colleges and technical universities. Sino Campus is one of China’s most innovative education organisations, investing in higher education institutions, dedicated to fostering innovation and research to encourage the next generation of Chinese entrepreneurs, using the UK higher education sector as the benchmark.

Tiger’s work with Sino Campus includes three successful partnerships with the RAU in China. The first partnership with Shandong Agricultural University (SDAU) started in 2007 and many of the RAU’s senior management team have had the pleasure of teaching and attending graduation ceremonies over the years. 

The second partnership with Qingdao Agricultural University (QAU) started in 2020 and revolves around key programmes such as Food Technology and Quality Assurance. The third partnership with Shenyang University started in 2021 which focuses on part-time PhD programmes within the Environmental Risk Management and Sustainable Development field. Sino Campus also works with other UK universities in subjects including Biology, Engineering, Data Science, and IT. 

As General Secretary of the International Centre for Educational Research and Assessment of the Chinese Society of Education (ICERA), Tiger has been closely involved with Chinese Government policymakers, drawing from his extensive connections with the UK to improve and modernise the Chinese education system. Tiger is also a Member of the Board of Regents of Harris Manchester College, Oxford University, and a Freeman of the City of London.