<<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

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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


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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
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