Royal honour recognises Ann's devotion to students

Devoted student advisor Ann McKay has been named on the New Year's Honours List for her unflinching commitment to undergraduates at Edinburgh University.

Mrs McKay will receive the MBE from the Queen this summer after nearly 40 years helping students in the Capital.

The 60-year-old, who retired in September, has held various roles at Edinburgh University since joining in 1972, but it was working with students which gave her most pleasure.

She began as a departmental secretary overseeing logistics and finance in various departments before moving to a role dealing with students and student awards.

Apart from a brief stint in the private sector from 1985-87, Mrs McKay has worked exclusively at the university throughout her career.

For the last 15 years she had been at the forefront of a department charged with assisting international students.

It is for her efforts in this role that the mother-of-two has been recognised in the New Year's Honours List.

Mrs McKay said she was astonished to have been awarded the accolade especially because she hadn't attended university herself.

"I was overwhelmed when I received the letter telling me I was on the list because I never thought I would receive anything like this, particularly coming from my background.

"I was just overwhelmed because I could not believe I was deserving of such an award."

On her move to the international student advisory department, she said: "I was given time to try to do a bit more for the students in terms of the support they needed. I was given the opportunity to start developing a role for an advisor within the international office.

"That has grown steadily and there are now three advisors in the office."

The bulk of work passing through the department is dealing with immigration and student visas but she has not been immune to more peculiar requests.

"Around 70 to 80 per cent of the work was applications for visas but we also talked with students who weren't coping with being away from home or were having a bad time in their subject area.

"But from that we also had parents asking if we could buy a cake for their son whose birthday was coming up."

Mrs McKay, a grandmother-of-three who lives in Colinton, also credits her husband's unyielding support for her MBE, saying he was always on hand to taxi her and students from airports to halls of residence when required.