QAA announces the appointment of the new Director of Development and Enhancement
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Jayne Mitchell as its new Director of Development and Enhancement.
Dr Mitchell will take up her position on 1 October 2008, succeeding Dr Nick Harris, who is retiring in September 2008.
Dr Mitchell has worked for QAA as an Assistant Director in the Development and Enhancement Group since 2003, initially as a secondee from Staffordshire University, where she was Associate Dean: Quality and Learning Development.
Chief Executive Peter Williams said: ‘I am delighted that Jayne has accepted this post. It is a key senior role, and Jayne will bring to it a wealth of knowledge and experience in development and enhancement, which will be invaluable as we develop our enhancement activities.'
Speaking about her new position Dr Mitchell said: ‘I am delighted to be taking over the Director’s role at an important time for higher education. I look forward to building on our achievements to date to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead’.
As Director, Dr Mitchell will lead QAA's development and enhancement work in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and make a central contribution to the future advancement and evolution of QAA. Current and likely future projects include the evaluation and further development of the Academic Infrastructure, coordinating work with key partners including the Higher Education Academy, and providing advice on academic quality and standards related to the greater involvement of employers in higher education.
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For further information please contact Katie Sharrock, Communications on
01452 557074 k.sharrock@qaa.ac.uk
Notes to editors
1 Dr Jayne Mitchell holds a PhD from the University of Exeter and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Birmingham. She has previously held a number of posts in higher education institutions that reflected her academic and research interests in exercise epidemiology and her commitment to quality assurance .
2 Dr Nick Harris is retiring from his post as Director of Development and Enhancement in September 2008. He has recently been appointed as one of the UK’s 15 ‘Bologna Experts’ whose job is to help inform UK higher education institutions about the Bologna Process reforms. These experts are appointed by the British Council, in cooperation with UK higher education stakeholders, following approval by the European Commission. Nick will also be advising a number of European quality assurance agencies and consortia, and return to some postgraduate teaching, including at the University of Duesto, Bilbao.
For further information about Bologna Experts, please see www.europeunit.ac.uk/bologna_process/uk_bologna_experts.cfm
3 QAA safeguards the public interest in sound standards of higher education
qualifications, and informs and encourages continuous improvement in the
management of the quality of higher education across the UK. For more information
visit www.qaa.ac.uk
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