University of Wolverhampton appoints its new vice chancellor

Professor Ebrahim Adia, from Bolton, is currently pro vice-chancellor at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), responsible for line managing the faculties and all aspects of the academic portfolio.

He has a national and international profile and brings a wealth of experience to the role of vice-chancellor, serving as chairman and member of a number of high-profile boards, panels and committees.

The new vice-chancellor will take up his role in the autumn, replacing the current interim vice-chancellor, Professor John Raftery, who joined the university earlier this year.

Professor Adia said: “I am delighted to become the next vice-chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton. I was the first in my family, and one of only a few from my school, to attend university which has helped to shape my views on the role of higher education.

"As a result of this, I have strived in both my personal and professional life to create opportunity and to help transform the lives of individuals and communities.

“I have great synergy with the University of Wolverhampton’s mission and values and look forward to leading an institution that is ranked in the top 10 for social mobility. I am also keen to build on the university’s commitment as an anchor institution supporting the economic and social advancement of the region.

“I am really looking forward to joining the team, meeting our partners and continuing to make such a positive difference to people’s lives.”

Professor Adia’s academic background is in the area of public policy and policy analysis.

He taught as a lecturer and senior lecturer in education for 18 years before moving into academic management.

In these management roles, Professor Adia developed a new campus, increased student numbers nine-fold and also improved student satisfaction and student continuation rates.

More recently, he has been appointed as a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) panel member by the Office for Students which has enhanced his understanding of best practice to support the development of an outstanding student experience that delivers high levels of graduate employability.

Professor Adia has also held a number of senior board roles in the NHS, was appointed by the government to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion and has served as a rapporteur at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

Angela Spence, chair of governors at the university, said: “After an extensive recruitment process in which our staff and students played a key part, we are very pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Adia.

"Our new vice-chancellor’s skills and experience are a strategic fit for the organisation, complementing our strengths whilst at the same time ably demonstrating experience of capitalising on business opportunities whilst also understanding and appreciating the importance of the student voice.”

Professor Raftery, interim vice-chancellor at the university, said: “Since I joined the university, staff here have made incredible efforts and shown exceptional personal fortitude to turn fortunes around – significantly reducing our financial deficit whilst at the same time keeping in mind our aspirations of providing sustained improvement in benchmarked indicators of educational excellence and financial resilience.

“The appointment of a new vice-chancellor who is closely aligned with those aspirations is so positive, not only for our university community but also for our local and regional communities. I’m certain Professor Adia will confidently lead the university’s continued growth whilst ensuring the needs of our students and staff remain at the heart of everything we do.”