The University Strategy sets out our ambition to become an international leader in graduate education. Building on our excellent reputation for employability is central to achieving that aim. It is increasingly important to underpin the relevance of studying at Bath by incorporating skills-based and employability programmes which are directly applicable to industry.
Creating a new type of role, a Professor of Practice, which is widely adopted in the United States, enables us to bring external, and sometimes commercial, expertise into our institution and postgraduate programmes.
Professors of Practice will help us emphasise the applied nature of both teaching and research at Bath.
Steve Egan CBE was appointed Vice President (Implementation) in May 2015. He was previously Deputy Chief Executive at the Higher Education Funding Council for England. In that role Steve had a broad portfolio of responsibilities, including funding policy, regulation, research to inform policy development and equality and diversity. Steve has taught as a guest lecturer at a wide range of universities on subjects including higher education policy and regulation.
He has led significant research projects, for instance; the impact of league tables in Higher Education, collaboration and mergers in the sector and various regulation topics. Steve provided policy advice to civil servants and government ministers and has served on a number of advisory committees. Steve was a trustee for the National Centre for Social Research (2004-2015) and Vice-Chair of the OECD Higher Education program (IMHE).
Steve is an alumnus of the University of Bath graduating with an MBA in 1989. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Management Accountants, achieving first place in his final examinations.
Steve was awarded a CBE for services to Higher Education in 2014. He takes up his new role as Professor of Practice, in addition to his current duties, on 1 July 2017.
Dr Anne Rixom has held senior roles at a number of higher education institutions and most recently as the Academic Registrar at Nottingham Trent University. At the University of Liverpool Dr Rixom was the Head of Operations of the London Campus overseeing the development of postgraduate programmes with a specific international focus. Other roles include the Head of Quality, Standards and Partnerships at the University of Lincoln and as a Researcher at the University of Nottingham. Portfolio responsibility has covered institutional governance, academic quality and standards, student support through a range of Registry functions, and the development and management of a range of UK and international collaborations.
Dr Rixom is an alumna of the University of Bath, having gained a Doctor of Business Administration in Higher Education Management in 2011. As a member of the QAA Postgraduate Advisory Board, she has contributed to national guidance for research degrees, and the Doctoral and Master’s Degree Descriptors published in September 2015. Other national work includes acting as a specialist advisor to HEFCE and the Home Office. Dr Rixom has also spoken at a number of conferences on her research interests of professionalisation and decision making in higher education management.
Dr Rixom will join the School of Management on 1 September 2017.