Three Pro Vice Chancellors (PVCs) have joined the University of Bedfordshire this term leading ‘Education and Student Experience’, ‘International’ and ‘Research and Innovation.’
Dr. Julie Brunton heads up Education and Student Experience. Adrian Dutch joins as PVC for International. Professor Andrew Church takes on the new role of PVC for Research and Innovation.
All three are members of the Vice Chancellor’s Executive Group.
University Vice Chancellor, Professor Rebecca Bunting, said: “The passion, energy and ambition our new team has are crucial characteristics for what we want to achieve as a successful institution, and I very much look forward to seeing how our plans for the areas of Education & Student Experience, International and Research & Innovation progress.”
Dr Julie Brunton was previously Associate Dean of Teaching, Learning and the wider Student Experience as Sheffield Hallam University.
Her new role will improve student satisfaction, retention, attainment and graduate outcomes. She will develop and implement Education and Student Experience Strategy while overseeing the University’s academic partnerships in the UK.
Dr Brunton described the University of Bedfordshire as ‘a very inspiring place to work’. She praised staff for their hard work in making the student experience they best they can.
She said: “I had an excellent time while at university myself and know the benefits and enjoyment it can bring. The diverse student body has a wide range of needs and preferences for achieving a high-quality student experience. My aim is to develop Bedfordshire’s student offer to achieve this high-quality experience.”
Adrian Dutch has worked in education for over ten years. He founded the International Office at City University London where he was also Head of Marketing, Head of Student Recruitment and Director of International.
He aims to build international strategy and attract more international students to Bedford.
He praised the ‘tremendous job’ the Centre for Academic Partnerships were already doing in ‘recruiting significant numbers of international students over the last few years.’
Dutch plans to diversify the countries students come from and the courses they study. He wants to diversify University income streams, such as summer schools, studying abroad and overseas partnerships.
Professor Andrew Church worked at the University of Brighton for twenty years. Most recently he was the PVC for Research and Enterprise.
He is part of an interdisciplinary team funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Global Challenges Research Fund, conducting research on sanitation in off grid communities in Nepal, Ethiopia, Ghana and India.
Church highlighted the positive impact research can have on the world and said:
“Covid-19 has shown just how important university research, including work at Bedfordshire, is to the health and well-being of societies around the world. New knowledge generated by universities is fundamental to promoting fairness and justice, stimulating economies and tackling environmental degradation including biodiversity loss and climate change.
