UCLan announces new vice-chancellor

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has appointed Professor Mike Thomas as its new vice-chancellor. He has been interim vice-chancellor at the University and will transition immediately into the permanent role.

David Taylor, pro chancellor and chair of the University board, said: “I am delighted to announce that following a competitive recruitment process, the University has appointed Professor Mike Thomas to the post of vice-chancellor.

“These are exciting times for UCLan with the backdrop of significant change heralded in the recent Higher Education Green Paper. I look forward to working closely with Mike as he leads the University through this landscape and makes significant positive change at UCLan in the coming years.”

"This is a University that changes peoples’ lives for the better, through its research and predominantly through its teaching and learning and the impact it has on the community around it.

“It’s a fascinating and highly challenging role, but having worked with the staff and the students here I have seen that we have the potential to really make an impact over the next few years. I would like to thank David Taylor and the Board for entrusting me to lead the University on a permanent basis.” Professor Thomas brings a wealth of experience to the role of vice-chancellor having served as deputy vice-chancellor at UCLan and in a variety of senior leadership roles at the University of Chester. Still an active researcher in psychology and mental health, his academic career also includes spells at Leeds Metropolitan University, the University of Salford and the University of Wales, and is balanced with experience as a practising clinician and as a submariner in the Royal Navy.