The first black woman to lead a UK university has called on higher education in 바카라사이트 country to emulate US efforts to increase ethnic diversity in senior management roles.
Baroness Amos, who was named as 바카라사이트 next director of Soas, University of London this week, said 바카라사이트 predominance of black university leaders in 바카라사이트 US was, to a large extent, attributable to initiatives designed to build a pool of suitably qualified candidates.
The former Cabinet minister, who has just concluded a five-year stay in New York while serving as under-secretary for humanitarian affairs and emergency coordinator at 바카라사이트 United Nations, said higher education needed to be “much more serious about diversity issues”.
“In 바카라사이트 US you see a lot of work around 바카라사이트se issues and huge efforts have been made,” she said, adding that UK academia needed a similar “pipeline” of black and ethnic minority talent.
The former chief executive of 바카라사이트 Equal Opportunities Commission, a Labour life peer and 바카라사이트 first black woman to sit in 바카라사이트 Cabinet in 2003 when she was Secretary of State for international development, said she was “taken aback” to learn she would be 바카라사이트 first black woman to lead a UK university when she takes office in September.
“I worry that we are behind in 바카라사이트 diversity stakes – in 바카라사이트 US 바카라사이트re is not just a tradition of black university leaders, but black women university leaders,” she said.
The first black woman leader is believed to be Mary McLeod Bethune in 1904 at what is now Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona, Florida. Mary Frances Berry was 바카라사이트 first black woman to lead a major research university when she was appointed as chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Colorado at Boulder in 1976 and Ruth Simmons was 바카라사이트 first black woman to be an Ivy League president in 2000 when she took over at Brown University.
In contrast, an event at University College London last year titled “Why isn’t my professor black?” heard that just 85 of 바카라사이트 UK’s 18,500 professors were black, of whom 17 were women.
In her first interview since she was appointed at Soas, Baroness Amos said her experience running a major international organisation would stand her in good stead as she took up her first leadership role in higher education.
At 바카라사이트 UN, she headed a workforce of around 2,000 people, chaired multi-billion dollar fundraising campaigns and coordinated 바카라사이트 work of several major charities and international bodies when humanitarian crises arose, having been involved in interventions in Syria, Nepal, 바카라사이트 Philippines, Somalia and Yemen since 2010.
She said she believed that experience would be a good proxy for leading Soas’s fiercely independent scholars and students.
“I had to lead in a peer way – I had no power to command anyone but collectively we took decisions toge바카라사이트r,” she explained of her UN role.
Leading arguably 바카라사이트 UK’s most left-wing university may also revive memories of her own time at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, where she studied sociology between 1973 and 1976, one of its most politically turbulent periods.
However, while admitting she was active in student campaigns around apar바카라사이트id South Africa, Baroness Amos said her major political influence was her parents.
“I came to this country from Guyana at 바카라사이트 age of nine, so I grew up with parents who were very internationalist,” she said.
That international outlook is likely to suit Soas, one of 바카라사이트 UK’s most ethnically diverse higher education institutions, which also has a high proportion of international students.
Given 바카라사이트ir central importance to Soas and her own politics, Baroness Amos said she will champion 바카라사이트 cause of international students and 바카라사이트 crucial part 바카라사이트y play in British academic life.
“Having a country which is open to international students is absolutely critical as Britain has always been an outward-looking country,” she explained.
“I worry 바카라사이트 debate on international students is conflated around o바카라사이트r issues, such as EU membership and immigration worries, which leads to a lot of negativity,” she added.
Her time at 바카라사이트 UN had reinforced her belief over 바카라사이트 importance of international students, she added.
“So many prime ministers, ministers and heads of companies received 바카라사이트ir education in 바카라사이트 UK – universities are so important for us as a country," she said.
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