THE new vice chancellor of Solent University is set to take up her role from today onwards.

Professor Karen Stanton is joining the university from her previous position as vice chancellor at York St John University.

She said she will focus on its development and has created a new plan for student experiences.

Karen has also acted as a deputy vice-chancellor at Glasgow Caledonian University and has also held positions at King’s College London and at the universities of Nottingham, Birmingham and Sheffield Hallam.

She said: “I have already been really impressed by Solent’s strong and growing reputation, not only for teaching excellence, but for providing the skills, experience and real-world learning students need for their future success.

“I will be focusing on the next phase of the University’s development, building on the tremendous progress made so far.

The vice-chancellor is also an ambassador for the Social Enterprise Goldmark and has previously chaired the boards of various charities and foundations to focus on widening access to higher education and social justice.

Karen added: "In creating the University’s new strategic plan, with its focus on Student Success, People Experience, Research Impact, Community Engagement and Environmental Sustainability, we will be forging new ways to achieve our mission and vision – delivering an exceptional student experience, supporting the regeneration and growth of our communities, and making a significant contribution to society as a whole.”

She is a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) and was chair of the Cathedrals Group of Universities and vice chair of GuildHE until December.

Karen is currently a member of UUK's Taskforce on the Public Impact of Universities - a patron of the Philosophical Society, the Island Charity for children from difficult backgrounds - and the Guildhall Orchestra.

Her previous areas of responsibility have included director of the Centre for e-Research, a globally ranked research team based at King's College London, and international leadership positions at campuses in New York, Oman and Bangladesh and as a member of the United Nations Alliance-UK.