New Dean’s clear vision for ESSL
“I’m Leeds through and through,” says Professor Jeremy Higham, the recently appointed Dean of Education, Social Sciences and Law (ESSL).
Since coming to Leeds as an undergraduate to study French in 1978, there have only been four years when Professor Higham was neither a student nor a member of staff of the University.
Most recently, he has held leadership roles including Acting Pro-Vice- Chancellor for Learning and Teaching and Chair of the steering group for the Virtual Learning Environment. As a Professor in the School of Education, his research focuses on curricula for 14-19 year-olds and he is Director of the Post-14 Research Group.
Professor Higham has a clear vision for the future of the faculty: “Naturally, academic excellence is a priority, and one of the ways we’ll continue to achieve this is by having research intensive schools which address the important issues currently concerning the fields of education, sociology and social policy, politics and law. I hope to see more research coming out of Leeds that sets the agenda for academic debate – both nationally and internationally – and has a really valuable role to play informing and shaping public policy.
“We’ll also increase our inter-disciplinary work with schools and faculties across the University and seek to form further external partnerships, which will enable greater knowledge exchange and research opportunities within and beyond the social sciences.
“We have a challenging environment where it’s vital that the faculty’s courses are attractive to UK and international undergraduates, postgraduates and their sponsors. We’re working to analyse future needs of all these groups to ensure we continue to offer the courses, support and research capabilities they require, and keep Leeds at the forefront of social science study.”
