Executive Committee Nominees 2016
Executive Committee Nominees 2016
The UK Council for Graduate Education received three nominations for its Executive Committee to serve from July 2016 to July 2019.
The role of the Executive Committee is to agree and set the work of the Council, to oversee the various activities organised and carried out by the Council, to agree Council policy and to ensure efficient financial management. In pursuance of these aims the Executive Committee meets a minimum of 4 times a year for official Executive Committee meetings, which take place weekday afternoons. Executive Committee members are also actively involved in Working Groups set up by the Council (attending meetings etc.), organising conferences and workshops, drafting material and commenting on various aspects of the Council’s work.
Below are details for each of the nominees for the two vacant positions on the Executive Committee from July 2016; along with brief biographical notes and suggested contributions.
Name: Gill CLARKE
Institution: Oxford University
It was a privilege to have been re-elected as vice-chair of the Council in 2015. I would much welcome the opportunity to continue working alongside colleagues on the Executive Committee for another three years. In parallel I am in the final year of a part-time PhD on doctoral assessment. In 2014 I was an invited keynote speaker at the Quality in Postgraduate Research conference in Adelaide and in the same year completed a joint report with Professor Ingrid Lunt commissioned by HEFCE: ‘International comparisons in postgraduate education: quality, access and employment outcomes’, which spanned eight countries including England and Scotland.
Contributions that will be made to the Council’s range of activities
I now chair the Quality and Reputation of the UK Doctorate working group (interim report on doctoral assessment soon to be published) and look forward to involvement in further projects undertaken by the group. I represent the Council as vice-chair of the organizing committee for the International Conference on Professional Doctorates, which we support in partnership with Middlesex University (the well-received fifth biennial conference has recently taken place in Belfast) and would welcome continuation of this role. If re-elected, I would also appreciate the opportunity, with other Executive Committee colleagues, to continue raising awareness of the Council’s work, within the sector and in political and policy-making arenas, including identifying new areas of interest to our members and organizing events that support the interests of colleagues and students in the postgraduate HE sector.
Name: Dr Fiona DENNEY
Institution: Brunel University
I have worked in UK universities for 20 years. Most recently I have headed up researcher development in the Graduate School at King’s College London and held a gratis strategic role as the London Hub Coordinator for the Vitae London Hub 2007 — 2013. I have been involved with postgraduate education for many years, helping to shape the support that postgraduates receive both institutionally and nationally. In 2014 I moved to Brunel University London to head the Brunel Educational Excellence Centre. I hold an academic post and I have particular interests in postgraduate supervisor education and research integrity.
Contributions that will be made to the Council’s range of activities
I am able to support the Council by contributing to policy work on doctoral supervision, PGT and research integrity in particular. I have already co-facilitated several “Good Practice in Research Ethics” workshops for the Council and would be keen to facilitate other workshops. Suggested topics might be around linking together academic development and supervision. I am also currently sitting on a working group at Brunel looking at the expansion of postgraduate taught degrees by distance and blended learning, and would be interested in supporting and facilitating workshops and events that focus on the often-neglected area of supporting PGT students effectively.,
Name: Professor Diane HOUSTON
Institution: University of Kent
Professor Diane Houston was appointed as the University of Kent’s first Graduate Dean and has been responsible for creating Kent’s Graduate School and the governance and strategy to develop postgraduate education, both taught and research, across the University. These achievements were acknowledged in a 2015 QAA Higher Education Review. She has held a variety of policy and advisory roles and has served on a number of ESRC panels. Prior to becoming Dean, Diane was Head of Kent’s School of Psychology and held a number of key roles in the British Psychological Society. Publications and research interests can be found at: https://www.reasearchgate.net/profile/Diane_Houston2
Contributions that will be made to the Council’s range of activities
I am very willing to contribute to any aspect of the routine work of the committee. In the context of my prior experience as Chair of the British Psychological Society (BPS) Conference Committee and Deputy Chair of the BPS Research Board, I would be very happy to contribute to activities relating to events and conferences. I spent three years as a government strategy and policy advisor so can offer experience in contributing to responses to papers and consultations issued by Government. I also have a lot of experience of creating and managing collaborative doctoral training in the UK and Europe across a range of disciplines and would therefore be willing and comfortable with representing UKCGE at external panels and events in the UK and internationally.
It is vital that UKCGE members take up the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidates via postal ballot (sent directly to institutional link members). Any members who require clarification should contact the Council’s Principal Officer Carolyn Wynne.
The deadline for returned election paperwork is Friday 27th May 2016. The results will be formally announced at the 2016 Annual Conference in Liverpool on the 4th and 5th of July.
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