Kent University has awarded chairs to: Rod Edmond , professor of modern literature and cultural history; Paddy Ireland , professor of law; Abdulrazak Gurnah , professor of English and postcolonial literatures; Diane Houston , professor of psychology; Adrian Podoleanu , professor of biomedical optics; Christopher Rootes , professor of environmental politics and political sociology; and Sarah Vickerstaff, professor of work and employment.
Gordon Dickson , professor, former dean of the faculty of health and pro vice-chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, has been appointed chief executive of the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland.
QDP Services, the learner feedback and benchmarking forum, has appointed the following people to its advisory board: Ian Rimmington , director of quality and support at West Cheshire College; and Hilde McNeil , independent educational consultant and former director of curriculum and quality at Oxford College of Further Education.
The White Rose University Consortium (which comprises the universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York) has appointed Simon Donoghue , head of Leeds University's project management group, acting chief executive after the departure of the current chief executive, Martin Doxey.
Geoff Whitty , director of the Institute of Education, University of London, has been unanimously elected president of the College of Teachers, an independent college incorporated by Royal Charter to promote the professional development of teachers.