Appointments

University of Western Ontario

Michael Milde

The newly appointed dean of the University of Western Ontario's Faculty of Arts and Humanities believes that people should not be discouraged from studying such subjects in favour of employment-friendly and "practical" degrees, despite the economic climate. Michael Milde, associate professor of social and political thought in Western Ontario's department of philosophy, said that in difficult political and economic times there was a tendency for students to retreat to practical subjects, but this was "frankly, a mistake". He continued: "Our teaching and research span the vital elements of our human experience. This is where we encounter our humanity most directly, in all its complexity and richness." After receiving undergraduate and master's degrees in philosophy from Queen's University in Canada, Professor Milde obtained his doctorate in the subject at the University of Calgary in 1992, moving to begin work at Western Ontario the same year. In one of his first acts as dean, the university will later this year introduce a school for advanced studies in arts and humanities, which will be committed to "pedagogical experimentation in an interdisciplinary context". Professor Milde said: "Our aim is to become the destination of choice for arts and humanities students and scholars from across Canada and the world."

Cardiff University

Roger Scully

Political scientist Roger Scully will help to develop research into Welsh devolution in his new role at Cardiff University's Wales Governance Centre (WGC). The former professor at Aberystwyth University said he was pleased that the "very high- calibre people on the interview panel thought me worthy of being offered the job". However, Professor Scully - who alongside his sister was the first in his family to enter higher education - admitted that before he went to university he "barely had any idea what an academic was". He studied politics at Lancaster University before gaining a master's and a doctorate at Durham and Ohio State universities respectively. He then lectured at Brunel University before joining Aberystwyth, which is where he developed an interest in Welsh politics. "I was actually originally hired by Aberystwyth as a European Union specialist," he said. "My interest in Welsh politics developed after I came to Wales, when I saw that a new political system was being created, more or less from the ground upwards, right in front of my eyes." In the WGC role, Professor Scully said he hoped to "advance the study of politics in Wales as a serious field of study".

Anglia Ruskin University

Clarissa Campbell Orr

A reader in Enlightenment, gender and court studies at Anglia Ruskin University who said that she originally wanted to be a lawyer before being "sidetracked by history" has been appointed president of the Society for Court Studies. Clarissa Campbell Orr, who has been a member of the society since its inception in 1995, takes over from Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage. She said she had been asked to take on the role on the basis of her being a "day-to-day" academic in an associated field. "They wanted someone who has their main post in a university rather than one of the royal palaces, (the) conservation movement or the museum world, which was the case before," she said. Ms Campbell Orr hopes that her position will help "create bonds and mutual interest between university historians and historians of heritage". She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in English, history and the philosophy of science, before going on to complete a master's at the University of York. She added that she would like to see "continuity but also fresh perspectives and new members" during her tenure.

Newcastle University Business School

James Timpson

The chief executive of Timpson - the largest shoe care, key-cutting, engraving and watch-repair business in the UK - has been appointed David Goldman visiting professor of innovation and enterprise at Newcastle University Business School. Despite his success in business, as a young man James Timpson wanted to be a farmer. "I didn't have all these ambitions, it just sort of happened," he said. "When I started working in the business, I did it because I really enjoyed it. I really liked working with the people." Mr Timpson began his career as a Saturday worker in a branch of his family's company before attending Durham University, where he gained a bachelor's degree in geography. He returned to the firm after university, rising to his current position. In the Newcastle role, Mr Timpson will provide inspiration and motivation to budding entrepreneurs and business leaders through lectures and seminars. The prospect of addressing a lecture hall full of students does not daunt him. "People might be thinking: 'What the hell does a cobbler know about academia?' Well, I don't know about academia, but I do know how to run a business," he said.

Other changes

The University of Leicester has made four appointments. Ian Rowlands has been made bibliometrician in the David Wilson Library. Dr Rowlands arrives from University College London, where he taught on the MA in publishing and MSc in informational science programmes. Helen Steele has joined Leicester's library and graduate school teams as a research network facilitator. She has previously taught at Swansea and Bath Spa universities. Andrew Futter and Christiana Tsaousi have taken positions in the department of politics and international relations and the School of Management respectively. Dr Futter, a member of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, joins as lecturer in international politics. He previously held visiting lecturer and teaching fellowship roles at the universities of Birmingham and Warwick. Dr Tsaousi, who completed a BSc, an MSc and a doctorate at Leicester, has returned as lecturer in marketing and consumption. She was previously a marketing lecturer at Bournemouth University.

Baroness Fritchie and Sir Henry Elwes have been announced as the chancellor and pro-chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire. Baroness Fritchie's career has spanned several fields including business, the health service and charities, and she previously served as pro-chancellor of the University of Southampton. Sir Henry, who was Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire for 18 years until retiring in 2010, will work alongside Michael Perham, bishop of Gloucester, who is already a pro-chancellor at the university.

A senior lecturer in Bournemouth University's Media School has been elected to the board of the European Media Management Association (Emma). John Oliver has been made deputy president of Emma and will support and help develop the association's activities over the next two years.