Interim President & Vice-Chancellor
announced for UCA

Professor Nick Foskett has been named as the interim President & Vice-Chancellor of the University for the Creative Arts.

19 Jul 2023

Prof. Foskett, currently an independent member of UCA’s Board of Governors, will take over from outgoing President & Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bashir Makhoul, upon his retirement from UK higher education in September.

Having served on the Board of Governors, it was an honour to be asked to cover this interim period,” said Prof. Foskett. “UCA is a wonderful university with endless potential and under Prof. Makhoul's leadership is in a fantastic position. I will ensure his legacy continues and is built on so that UCA can continue its impressive trajectory.”

Prof. Foskett is a graduate of Oxford and Southampton universities and has had a long and diverse relationship with higher education, working at some of the UK’s leading universities. He was Vice-Chancellor of Keele University from 2010 to 2015, and Interim Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University from 2017 to 2018. For around 20 years he held several positions at the University of Southampton, latterly as Professor of Education and Dean of the Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences. Prior to that his first foray into higher education was at Aston University, working in school engagement and external relations.

An expert in education policy and management, Prof. Foskett has sat on and continues to sit on several boards in the UK and globally and has also made a huge contribution to the development of governance frameworks within the higher education sector.

Prof. Makhoul announced his retirement from UCA and from UK higher education in March of this year, after more than six years as President & Vice-Chancellor. Since joining, Prof. Makhoul has steered the University towards its aim of becoming a global authority on the creative industries, forging significant partnerships at home and abroad. He has overseen a five-fold increase in international students studying at the University’s UK campuses and spearheading the opening of the Institute of Creativity and Innovation in Xiamen, China, along with the establishment of the UK’s first Business School for the Creative Industries.

External recognition of these achievements includes being named Modern University of the Year by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide in 2019 and being granted Research Degree Awarding Powers by the Office for Students.

Prof. Makhoul said:

I am delighted Prof. Foskett will be overseeing operations while my permanent replacement is found. He has a fantastic track record and understands UCA’s unique position as a champion of the creative industries. I wish him all the best for his interim tenure.”

Jeremy Sandelson, Chair of the Board of Governors, said:

We are delighted Prof. Foskett has agreed to be our interim President & Vice-Chancellor at UCA. We couldn’t think of a safer pair of hands to take the helm, and we offer him every support as he leads the University during this time.”