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<<Background info on ECU 140201.doc>> Dear Colleagues NEW DIRECTOR APPOINTED! For those that were unable to attend the Universities UK's conference on equality yesterday I thought it might be helpful to let you know that Janet Finch, Chair of the new equality framework announced the new Director for the Equality Challenge Unit who will be Professor Joyce Hill, previously Pro-Vice- Chancellor at the University of Leeds. Joyce will be on a one-year full-time secondment starting officially in August but will be with the Unit one day a week from the beginning of march. I have attached a copy of the Press Release announcing this. I also thought that this would be a useful opportunity to provide colleagues with some further information on the Unit. Attached is an information note which I have prepared outlining the framework, mission and objectives for the ECU. Most of which I am sure will already be known to you but will hopefully be useful for sending on to others. Please note that this does not refer to the work programme as this will be considered at the first meeting of the Joint Equality Steering Group which we hope to have in April with a view to launching in May. REQUEST FOR HELP! The JESG has been established and I am now in the process of setting up the Practitioners Advisory Group (PAG). The purpose of this group is to act as a think tank for the JESGis group and feed through areas for consideration and issues of concern etc to the Joint Equality Steering Group. PAG will include representatives from groups with an interest in equality personnel issues in relation to staff. (The groups will need to decide who these shd be). In order that I do not exclude anyone it would be most helpful if colleagues could e-mail me names of the groups that they think should be represented in this group. I will then write to the Chair of each group and invite them to nominate a representative for the PAG. There will be three meetings a year. It might be helpful to know that the group will also include one representative from the CRE, EOC, DRC and the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland. Thank you very much indeed for your help. For those that cannot read the attachments please contact Christine or Helena on 020 74195467 or via email [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] Kind regards Fiona PRESS RELEASE Embargoed to 21 February 2001 New Director for Equality Unit Appointed Professor Joyce Hill from the University of Leeds has been appointed, on a secondment basis, to become the Director of the Equality Challenge Unit. Funded by a number of higher education agencies including the funding councils, the Equality Challenge Unit will drive forward new initiatives on equal opportunities in the university and higher education college sector. Professor Hill was the first woman Pro Vice-Chancellor to be appointed at the University of Leeds in 1995 and currently heads one of the largest English Departments in the UK . She is also a founding member of the Athena Project and a member of the Steering Group that works with the DTI/OST to promote the retention and advancement of women in science, engineering and technology in Higher Education. Last year Professor Hill chaired the UK-wide senior management group Through the Glass Ceiling. She is a leading humanities academic in the UK and was formerly the Director of Medieval Studies at Leeds. Professor Hill takes up her post part-time from next month and full-time from 1 August. She said: "I am really pleased to be appointed. This is a unique opportunity to contribute creatively to the equality opportunities challenge we face in higher education." Professor Janet Finch, Chair of the Joint Equality Steering Group, and Vice-Chancellor of Keele University, announced Professor Hill's appointment at today's Equality Challenge Conference in London, organised by Universities UK. She said: "I am delighted with our appointment. Professor Hill will bring energy and commitment to the team and enable us to move forward on a whole series of equality actions across the higher education sector." ends ------------------------------------------------------------ Fiona Waye Policy Adviser Email :[log in to unmask] web :www.UniversitiesUK.ac.uk Tel :+44(0)20 7419 4111 Fax :+44(0)20 7388 6256 ------------------------------------------------------------