A new Vice Chancellor has taken up his post at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln today (Wednesday, 1 May).
The Reverend Professor Peter Neil has taken the reins at the university after moving south from the University of the West of Scotland, where he was Interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health and Social Sciences.
Professor Neil has a distinguished academic record in the fields of education and theology and has been a prominent figure in the world of Scottish higher education.
“I have been looking forward to coming to Lincoln for months now but nothing could have prepared me for the very warm welcome to the city and for the overwhelming support which has been shown to me on campus,” said Professor Neil.
“The university is in a very strong position, having reached many landmarks in the last year. We need to be prepared, however, not to rest on our laurels, to look for new opportunities and to face inevitable challenges as we move on into the next phase in our story.
“I am delighted to be part of this institution at this particular time and feel that we, as a team of staff and students, are well equipped to take BGU further as a university.”
Professor Neil was born on the Isle of Bute on the west coast of Scotland. After working as a teacher of modern languages in Scotland he moved to Belfast where he became a senior lecturer in Education at Queen’s University Belfast.
Whilst at Queen’s he completed a PhD in Education and began studying theology. In 2003 he took up the role of director of Education and Lifelong learning at Aberystwyth University, subsequently returning to his native Scotland as Head of the School of Education at the University of the West of Scotland.
With a wide range of research interests centred on education and on theology Professor Neil has written books on language teaching, Continuous Professional Development and teacher mentoring. He has researched topics ranging from language education to school leadership and ordinary theology, publishing in academic journals and speaking at international conferences.
Professor Neil succeeds Professor Muriel Robinson who retired last week after almost ten years in charge of BGU.
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