The University of West London (UWL) is a public research university in the United Kingdom with campuses in Ealing, Brentford, in Reading, Berkshire and in Oxford. The University has roots dating back to 1860, when the Lady Byron School was founded, later Ealing College of Higher Education. UWL has approximately 13,500 students on degree level study (including higher/degree apprenticeship) and 100 FE students. It also has over 5,000 students in UK partner institutions, around 3,500 in international partnerships and over 1,000 on the Police Qualification and Education Framework. Full-time taught postgraduate students have grown by 41% between 2020 and 2021 and there has been consistent growth in international student numbers. Higher and degree apprenticeship enrolments have increased from 18 to 800 since 2017. The University is in a solid financial position with a turnover of £173 million and £83 million in reserves, consistently achieving 10% surpluses. 

UWL is based in the heart of west London, one of the UK’s most successful business regions. It operates from two main sites: St Mary’s Road in Ealing and Paragon House in Brentford with Nursing and Midwifery education also offered in our Berkshire Institute of Health in Reading. The UWL Group also includes Drama Studio London (DSL) in Ealing, and Ruskin College Oxford. The University has nine academic schools and colleges and one institute which bring together cognate subject areas. They are responsible for ensuring that they deliver an appropriate curriculum and develop new areas in response to student, societal and industry requirements. 

UWL has a proud record of widening participation and students are welcome from all socioeconomic backgrounds. It is proud to have a diverse staff and student community which is testament to the institution’s commitment to equality of opportunity and social inclusion at all levels of the University. 62% of UWL’s students are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds; 61% are mature (over 21 on entry); 47% are from areas of multiple deprivation; and 12% have a disability.

In recent years, it has undergone a period of growth and has focussed significantly on sustainability with one of the only ground-sourced heating systems in the UK and is a leading upcycling University in Europe. Following a long tradition of providing Arts, Humanities and Professional Courses, UWL is expanding further into STEM subjects areas and will have a new School of Medicine in 2023. It will also continue to develop its international partnerships and broaden its global focus. With a new strategy currently being devised, it's an incredibly exciting time to join UWL and one where the right Chair can have huge levels of impact. 

Leading the Board

• To provide strategic leadership for the University and the Board of Governors to maintain its direction and sustainability
• To ensure a strong ethos of accountability in the Board and the Vice Chancellor’s Executive and that the University abides by the standards of public life and to maintain the Board culture of openness, accountability and mutual trust and the shared endeavour of supporting the student experience
• To ensure the Board maintains appropriate oversight of the performance of the University
• To ensure that members of the Board work effectively together, carry out their responsibilities in an efficient manner, and have regard for the proper conduct of public business
• To ensure that the Board of Governors has the right balance of skills, experience and background among its independent and co-opted members to carry out its functions effectively, and to contribute to the development of the University
  

Operation of the Board
To work with the University Secretary to:

• ensure an appropriate corporate governance framework
• ensure that the University abides by the CUC Code of Governance, Office for Students Regulatory framework and any other external requirements placed upon the Board
• ensure that the business of the Board is properly planned with appropriate time for strategic
  discussion as well as routine business
• ensure that accurate, timely and clear information is provided to Governors to support their decision making
• ensure that appropriate induction and development opportunities are available to Governors and that regular appraisals are undertaken
  

Relationship with the Vice-Chancellor and Senior Team

• To ensure that the relationships between the Vice Chancellor’s Executive and the Governors are
  effective and constructive
• To undertake an annual appraisal of the performance of the Vice Chancellor
• To ensure that members of the Board of Governors are properly involved in the appointment of members of the Vice Chancellor’s Executive, including the Vice Chancellor

Ambassadorial role

• To act as an ambassador for the University, explaining its mission and its work, and networking and building support for the University among senior decision makers in the private and public sectors, and other opinion formers
• To attend graduation ceremonies and officiate as required
• To attend University functions and events
• To be a member of the Council of University Chairs and of its London sub-group and other sector bodies as appropriate

The University of West London is looking to appoint an inspirational Chair who will bring strong leadership and relationship-building skills from any sector. They will be collegiate, diplomatic, have gravitas and strong decision making skills. They will have an ability to play an ambassadorial role with a range of stakeholders and partners whilst being able to inspire those around them.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate an impressive senior leadership track record along with non-executive experience from the private, public and/or voluntary sectors, bringing immediate credibility and authority to the role. They will ideally bring some previous chairing experience. They will have experience of navigating through large and complex organisations as well as large scale change management. It is desirable (but not essential) that this individual will have an understanding of the policy and resource issues in higher and further education as well as bringing an understanding of the requirements and constraints of running an institution which is publicly funded and highly regulated. Finally, commercial experience and good private sector networks would be beneficial.

Above all, the Chair will bring a commitment to the mission, vision and values linked to accessibility, affordability, diversity, transparency and accountability. They will have a strong personal commitment to the Nolan Principles of public service and the principles of diversity and equal opportunities.

Diversity: The University of West London is committed to improving the representation of different groups on its Board, and as such diversity will be an important consideration in this search. Please see the Diversity section for more information.

To find out more about the Board of Governors, please see here. 

The time commitment for the role normally requires approximately 3-4 days per month on average through the year, though this tends to be concentrated into the periods between October and July. There are six Board meetings including a January away day. These are usually held in Ealing but they have also been held at Ruskin and at other UWL sites. The term of office is three years, renewal up to three times. The role is unremunerated but reasonable expenses will be paid.

The University of West London welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. It is particularly interested in attracting and encouraging applications from women, those from an ethnic minority group, and a range of socio-economic backgrounds. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.