Dame Sally Mapstone, the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St Andrews, has been elected the next president of Universities UK.

She will succeed Steve West, vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England, when she takes up the role on 1 August.

The medieval and Renaissance Scottish literature scholar was elected through a ballot of UUK’s 140 members to serve a two-year term.

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of the organisation, said Dame Sally would bring a broad range of experience to the role and a particular commitment to widening participation and accessibility in higher education.

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“There are challenging but exciting times ahead for the higher education sector as we work to maximise our positive impact on society and support the UK’s economic recovery,” she said.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Professor Dame Sally Mapstone on supporting and championing the vital contribution of our universities.”

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Dame Sally completed her education, lectured and held several leadership roles at the University of Oxford, and has served as a board member of UUK since 2016.

“The UK higher education sector is outstanding for its inventiveness and its creativity as well as its resilience, and my job will be to harness those characteristics in representing and advocating for all our universities,” she said.

“Universities at their most essential level exist to find and bring out the best in people; representing the sector means representing the remarkable staff and students who make the UK sector the envy of the world.

“Setting and taking forward a compelling agenda for how higher education is seen, overseen, funded and resourced must dominate UUK’s strategic approach, in parallel with extensive efforts to convey the dynamism and potential of the sector’s extensive contributions to the economy, science, the arts and entrepreneurialism.”

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patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com