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Ken Macintosh
I will:
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Stand up for students and staff
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Champion educational opportunity
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Offer supportive leadership
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Fight for Abertay on the national stage
I want you to enjoy your time at Abertay University. I want you to feel enriched by your learning, to experience new opportunities, to make lifelong friends, and to be rewarded for your efforts with a qualification that will help secure your future. Whether you are a student or a member of staff, my job as Chair of Court is simply to help you achieve your aims.
Decisions taken by the Court directly affect you and every university service you rely on, and as Chair I will always put your interests first. Abertay is already an excellent university, leading the technological revolution and with an outstanding record in promoting social mobility. Together we can do even more.
For more than twenty years in the Scottish Parliament, I was driven by my desire to build a fairer society, to tackle inequality and to give everyone the best chance in life. I established myself as a trusted colleague, culminating in my election by MSPs from all parties as the Presiding Officer. Central to that role as an elected representative was my ability to listen to and to reflect the views of my constituents. That independence of mind, that focus on those I serve, is the approach I will take to the role of Chair. I will be available and accessible to all.
There are some immediate challenges facing everyone at Abertay, not least of which is the sudden and rapid increase in the cost of living. We have to help those who are struggling whilst also ensuring the University’s finances are on a sustainable footing. I know on which doors to knock, and I will be taking the argument to the very top of government.
Abertay has a strong argument to make, a record of outstanding success in computer gaming, mental health nursing, food science, sports science, law, and so much more. The real feather in our cap and the policy I admire the most is the opportunity Abertay affords those facing disadvantage.
I will fight for Abertay, but I will also make sure that the issues which matter most to you are discussed at Court: from staff pay to student support; from the need to establish a proper work-life balance for staff to a focus on tackling stress for all; from remote learning for some to in-person teaching for those who need it.
In my first ever election I stood on a platform of ‘Education, Education, Education’. The drive to create opportunities for all and my belief in the transformative power of learning has never left me. I want to use the skills and experience I have gained over a lifetime in politics to serve you and make a success of your time at Abertay.
