FORGET the Members, Officers, Commanders and the like of the British Empire. Honorary degrees from Liverpool’s universities are a uniquely local way of honouring those who have made their mark on society.

And few can have been as richly deserved as those conferred by Liverpool University yesterday.

Vasily Petrenko was something of a leap of faith for the Philharmonic when he was appointed as principal conductor in 2005. At 29, he was the youngest conductor ever to take on the post, and only the second Russian in the Philharmonic Society’s 165-year history.

To make matters worse, there were those who felt that his predecessor, Gerard Schwartz, had been badly treated by the Philharmonic, when the society decided not to renew his contract with the orchestra after five years.

But, three years down the line, the faith shown in Petrenko has been repaid many times over, and he has taken the Philharmonic to new heights, establishing a world-wide reputation.

His honorary professorship is a symbol of the esteem in which he is held, and always will be held in Liverpool.

Amid all the controversy over modern architecture in Liverpool, there is one project which has done exactly what it set out to do. That is the Echo Arena Liverpool, on the waterfront, which has provided the performance and conference arena that has been so visibly lacking from the city for years.

Not only has it brought Liverpool level with other big cities for these facilities, it has surpassed many of them, and is a credit to its architect, Jim Eyre, who studied at Liverpool.

Liverpool-born theatre director Jude Kelly had already made her career outside her native city. But her honorary degree is every bit as well-earned as the others. Congratulations all round.