University of Chester’s ‘Power of 3’ supports Government’s key missions

Guest blog by Professor Eunice Simmons, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chester.

At the University of Chester plans are well underway to support the new Government’s key drivers for economic growth.

Delegates from the University will explore how higher education can be a catalyst for change and prosperity at the Labour conference in September.

Chester is hosting a panel entitled ‘The power of 3: the role of universities in delivering Labour’s key missions’. The title was chosen to reflect Chester’s unique position compared to other universities of its size in having three major drivers for change: a Medical School; a School of Education and a Business School.

These three Schools can create significant social and economic improvement and prosperity through creating advances in health, teaching and by generating employment across the region and beyond. This places Chester in a strategically important position to engage extensively and effectively with these three professional areas to create the new teachers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and business leaders of the future. It also provides research opportunities and continuing professional development for those already working or studying in these areas.

As well as playing its role in kickstarting growth and building an NHS fit for the future, which are highlighted in the Labour missions, Chester is also a major player in breaking down barriers to opportunity through its Citizen Student Strategy which places building social capital at its heart and opening higher education to all.

This approach is exemplified by the recent announcement that Associate Professor Andy Todd, Director of Pro Bono and Community Engagement at the University’s School of Law and Social Justice, has been named as a National Teaching Fellow by Advance HE. Committed to upending the power balance traditionally encountered at university, Andrea (Andy) Todd has pioneered ways of working and instigated interventions that empower all students, regardless of background, to take control of their journey through, and beyond, university.

At Chester our purpose is to create meaningful opportunities for our students, staff and communities to grow and develop and make a positive difference to the world around us.