PEOPLE often complain that newspapers only report bad news. But this week sees Staffordshire University's annual awards celebrations taking place at Trentham and these ceremonies are a positive orgy of good news, much of which is reported in the local media.

If you have never heard vice-chancellor Professor Chris King speak at one of these events you have certainly missed out.

Chris is a very erudite scholar herself, but comes across as a motivational speaker who burns with a passionate commitment to learning for everyone and improvement for the city region.

Her cheery insistence on the importance of including everyone's talents in the learning revolution is clearly rooted in the experience of someone who has suffered, but never been bowed by, her share of discrimination.

Lord Morris, better known to some of us as Bill, the former leader of the Transport and General Workers Union, is chancellor of the university.

Although mostly a ceremonial role, Lord Bill sets a tone that has all the gravitas of the House of Lords and all the fire of a trades union while never being short of a joke if proceedings are in danger of getting dull.

I am delighted to see that the university is honouring Pat Callaghan this year with an honorary degree for her contribution to environmental work in Staffordshire.

Pat has been chairman of The Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and helped it achieve many victories over bureaucracy as it fought to open footpaths or create conservation areas and use volunteers to improve the sustainability and accessibility of our wildlife.

Pat was a campaigner on green issues long before environmentalism was fashionable and I am delighted that, as someone from whom I have learned much, she is being honoured.

I attended the ceremony on Monday, which included the graduation of legal and advice work students.

Staffordshire has one of the best advice work courses in the country and, along with the local Citizens Advice Bureau, ensures that we remain recognised as a centre of excellence in this work nationally.

From this part of the university comes methods of working that will ensure that some of the nation's poorest families are enabled to cope with their debts, their disabilities or frailties and that they get their entitlement to services or benefits whether or not they are able to push their case themselves.

But Staffs Uni is not just about one type of learning and I never cease to be amazed by the breadth of its courses.

I often drive past the little house on Leek Road which is the scenes of crime studio in which budding forensic scientists are trained to collect evidence after a crime without disturbing or corrupting it.

This is a house in which 'murders' are committed every week but it leads to many successful prosecutions of real villains nationwide as the graduates join police services and apply the skills they have learned here. The business studies department gives budding entrepreneurs the skills they need to run businesses or work for others and so is responsible for many jobs every year.

I have huge admiration and respect for all those people who are graduating this week. Their efforts deserve all our best wishes.

In an individual way they probably get it as the mounted photographs of our well scrubbed loved ones appear on the mantelpiece in their academic gowns. I doubt however if we as a city have enough respect for the institution of the university, the process of learning, or the students who flock here to study. All too often students suffer undeserved prejudice from those without the gumption to stop moaning and start learning.

Worse still, the whole process of learning is often still described as elitist or unreal. Actually, preserving wildlife, solving murders or helping people to claim benefits are not unreal or merely academic pursuits.

Our university is a hub of learning that can make life better for us all. We should celebrate its existence as it celebrates its achievements. Better still, we should use it ourselves.