OLH Managing Editor joins BAME academic leadership programme

We are delighted to announce that Dr Rose Harris-Birtill, Managing Editor at the Open Library of Humanities and Honorary Fellow at the University of St Andrews, has been successfully awarded a place on the StellarHE - Strategic Executive Development for Diverse Leaders in Higher Education programme, a national development initiative to increase the representation of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) academic leaders in senior management positions across the Higher Education sector.

Places on the executive development programme are highly competitive, and Dr Harris-Birtill’s attendance has been sponsored by Birkbeck, University of London following her successful application to the scheme. The initiative includes workshops, coaching and professional training alongside successful applicants from a range of universities across the UK, with sessions taking place throughout 2021.

Dr Rose Harris-Birtill said, ‘It’s wonderful to have been awarded a place on the programme, which rightly seeks to increase diversity in academic leadership, and I’d like to thank OLH founder Professor Martin Eve, and Birkbeck, University of London, for all their support. I very much look forward to taking part, and to contributing what I can towards the much-needed changes required to increase the diversity of representation in academia for the benefit of all.’

Professor Martin Eve, founder of the Open Library of Humanities, added: ‘I am delighted that Dr Harris-Birtill has been selected for the StellarHE programme. It is extremely important that higher education is a space that accurately represents broader society and it is clear that, at present, there is a mismatch between these spaces. Programmes such as StellarHE help us to redress this problem and I am pleased that Birkbeck was able to support Dr Harris-Birtill in this endeavour.’

Professor Anthony Bale, Executive Dean of Arts at Birkbeck, University of London, commented: ‘This is an excellent recognition of Dr Harris-Birtill’s talents. The StellarHE scheme will lead to a more diverse higher education sector, and plays a crucial role in engaging and supporting our staff. StellarHE is one of the ways we are addressing the cultural and systemic changes needed in higher education. Many congratulations to Dr Harris-Birtill on her selection to this excellent scheme’.

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