Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Vice-Chancellor Edward Peck has been appointed as the UK government’s first-ever Student Support Champion during the 20-year anniversary of the Higher Education Policy Institute.
The Student Support Champion is a new government-funded role established with the intent of supporting student mental health across higher education institutions within the UK.
Professor Peck will “provide sectoral leadership to share best practice and promote new initiatives for how to ensure students remain supported and engaged with their course”, Minister of State for Higher and Further Education, Michelle Donelan, has said.
Professor Peck said: “I am looking forward to working with the Minister, Students’ Unions, HE providers, sector bodies and businesses to ensure we provide the best support we can to a generation of students who have endured a dislocation to their lives and education that we have not seen for decades.”
I am looking forward to working with the Minister, Students’ Unions, HE providers, sector bodies and businesses to ensure we provide the best support we can to a generation of students who have endured a dislocation to their lives and education that we have not seen for decades https://t.co/4cLgY1CWrQ
— Edward Peck (@ProfEdwardPeck) June 10, 2022
This comes shortly after research from the Higher Education Policy Institute found that one in four students felt lonely most of the time.
Professor Peck joined NTU as Vice-Chancellor in 2014 and in 2021 was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to higher education.
Lead image: Platform Magazine (inset: Nottingham Trent University)