Birkbeck appoints Executive Deans to lead new College structure

Birkbeck, University of London has appointed five new Executive Deans to lead its revised School structure. The appointments follow a College-wide Strategic Review, which will see the existing 17 Schools merged into five new, larger schools, and include the mainstreaming of the Faculty of Lifelong Learning. From 1 September 2009 the new Schools will be: Arts; Science; Law; Business, Economics and Informatics; and Social Science, History and Philosophy. Three of the appointments are internal candidates and two are external.

The new Executive Deans are:

• Professor Hilary Fraser, School of Arts
• Dr Nicholas Keep, School of Science
• Professor Philip Powell,  School of Business, Economics and Informatics, who joins Birkbeck from the University of Bath
• Patricia Tuitt, School of Law
• Professor Miriam Zukas, School of Social Science, History and Philosophy, who joins from the University of Leeds

Professor David Latchman, Master of Birkbeck, said "We are delighted to appoint such strong candidates to lead the five new schools which are pivotal to the College's future.  At this time of great change our new Executive Deans will bring their drive, experience and skills to give a strategic direction to the College, to extend its unique mission of providing flexible, higher education in a research intensive environment."

The Strategic Review has been implemented in part to respond to the government's decision to withdraw funding from students studying for equivalent or lesser qualifications (ELQ). This decision saw Birkbeck lose 38% of its teaching funding, which equates to about £7 million per annum. The new Executive Deans will be responsible for leading the strategic development of their Schools and driving continued future success, in terms of the quality of the students' experience, the quality of the staff, their teaching and research, and the financial health of Birkbeck. They will also develop clear progression routes for students from Certificate to Doctoral level, the lifelong learning and widening participation activities of their Schools, and the portfolio of programmes taught at Birkbeck Stratford.

About the Executive Deans

Professor Hilary Fraser joined Birkbeck in 2002, and is the current Head of English and Humanities at Birkbeck. Hilary has been extensively involved in the Strategic Review and will lead the regrouping and renovation of Arts and Humanities programmes, as well as the integration of staff and programmes from the Faculty of Lifelong Learning. "The opportunity to lead this new School will enable me to work strategically and effectively with others to develop, articulate and achieve consensus on innovative goals, and together to shape the next chapter in Birkbeck's honourable history."

Dr Nicholas Keep is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Science at Birkbeck. He has been at the College for the last 11 years as a member of the School of Crystallography and is Reader in Structural Biology. "While pursuing Birkbeck's teaching mission the School of Science has an excellent research reputation as clearly shown by our 2008 RAE results. Our unique position at the heart of London means we are able to exploit the wonderful opportunities for research collaborations and facility sharing. We have exciting plans for expansion over the next few years and I am looking forward to leading the School through this period."

Professor Philip Powell has spent the last decade at the University of Bath as Professor of Information Management, including five years as Deputy Dean of the School.  He has now held every post from research assistant to executive dean in a 25 year academic career, and in 2008 completed an MBA in Higher Education Management. "Clearly, we are in an 'interesting' time for higher education, and the future for business-facing disciplines is perhaps even more uncertain as students react to the implications of the credit crunch. I'm greatly encouraged by the depth and breadth of skills in the School and the enthusiasm for change to address the new challenges."

Patricia Tuitt, Reader in Law, joined Birkbeck in 1998 and is currently the Head of the Law School. Her research interests are in international refugee law and legal theory and her major publications include False Images: Law's Construction of the Refugee (Pluto) and Race, Law, Resistance (Glasshouse Press).  "As the only single discipline School within the new academic structure, Law has a challenging time ahead to reach its ambitious, but eminently achievable, plans to grow to almost twice its present size by 2014.  Each year, the demand for law degrees in London far outstrips supply.  The School will aim to recruit prospective students by the richness of its scholarly output and taught provision."

Professor Miriam Zukas has had almost a 30 year association with the University of Leeds. Born and educated in Zambia, she began her career at Leeds in 1980, as a lecturer in Psychology. She is currently Professor of Adult Education and since 2003 has been Director of the Lifelong Learning Institute, which she first helped to establish in 1999. She won both a University and a National Teaching Fellowship in 2008. "Because of my own teaching and research, I've always been inspired by Birkbeck's unique commitment to combining world-leading research with an educational focus on mature students."