The UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment (UKSCQA) has announced Prof Nic Beech as its new chair.
In June, Prof Beech (pictured) – the vice-chancellor at Middlesex University since 2020 – will succeed Prof Andrew Wathey, who will retire as the vice-chancellor at Northumbria University later this year.
The new chair will be supported by Prof Clare Peddie, the vice-principal for education at the University of St Andrews, who will assume the newly-created role of deputy chair.
Both will serve in these roles for three years. Prof Wathey was the inaugural committee chair, leading its work overseeing the UK Quality Code for Higher Education and a statement on degree algorithms, classifications and grade inflation.
The independent secretariat of the UKSCQA is moving to Universities UK from the Office for Students. The secretariat members include figures from universities, regulatory and funding bodies, and student groups across the UK, offering sector-led oversight of higher education quality assessment arrangements.
Alongside his role at Middlesex, Prof Beech is chair of AccessHE and a member of the board of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).
Prof Peddie is currently chair of the Quality Arrangements for Scottish HE (QASHE) committee, leads the QAA Scotland enhancement theme ‘Resilient Learning Communities’, and was previously the sector representative for Scotland on the UKSCQA.
Image credit: Middlesex University
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