Two of the most influential women in broadcasting received honorary degrees at the summer graduation ceremonies last week.

Controller of BBC 2, Jane Root, and controller of BBC Radio 4, Helen Boaden, were each made a Doctor of Letters on 18 July at Brighton's Dome.

Helen Boaden, who gained a BA in English in 1979, said: "I loved my years at the University of Sussex - not just for the wonderful friends and stunning surroundings but because it really challenged my assumptions about everything: books, culture, politics, the world. It was incredibly hard work and very, very interesting. And you can't ask more than that."

Jane Root, who left Sussex in 1980 with a degree in Politics and International Relations, said: "I really enjoyed my time as an undergraduate at Sussex and was drawn to the fantastic range of modern subjects for inquiring minds - plus the smell of sea air, of course! Both Helen and I believe we wouldn't be doing our current jobs if it wasn't for Sussex."

Also receiving honorary degrees last week were veteran broadcaster Sir Jonathan Miller, a visiting research fellow at Sussex in the 1980s (Doctor of Letters); South African freedom fighter Justice Albie Sachs, who completed a DPhil at Sussex in the 1960s (Doctor of Laws); director of the National Portrait Gallery Charles Saumarez Smith (Doctor of Letters); and Nobel Prize winner for economics Professor Amartya Sen (Doctor of Science).