Dr Paul Campbell appointed Director of Leicester’s new Institute for Inclusivity
Dr Paul Campbell has been appointed as the Director of the Leicester Institute for Inclusivity in Higher Education (LIIHE), an interdisciplinary research institute that will seek to lead a transformation in higher education through innovative research new.
Under Dr Campbell’s leadership and guided by the LIIHE Advisory Board, the LIIHE will work to enhance the experience of students from all backgrounds - both at the University of Leicester and sector-wide.
An award winning academic and lecturer in the sociology of race and inclusion at the University of Leicester, Dr Campbell has led a number of university-wide race equality and education projects and supports a number of UK universities in addressing racial inequalities in their curricular and in their assessment processes.
His current project evaluates the effectiveness of curriculum toolkits for improving the relatability of courses to the lived experiences students from minority ethnic backgrounds, improving minority ethnic students’ satisfaction and in addressing the award gap between minority ethnic and white students.
Dr Paul Campbell, Lecturer in Sociology at the University said: “I am delighted to be leading this exciting new initiative at the University of Leicester – I look forward to ensuring the University can establish the LIIHE as a research institute of both national and international importance.
“It is poignant that this vital project has launched in the year we celebrate our Centenary - it has the potential to change Higher Education. I am seeking in particular to address awarding gaps and outcome differences affecting students from all backgrounds.”
Dr Campbell’s first monograph won the British Sociological Association’s Philip Abrams Prize in 2017 and he has published widely in the areas of race, inclusion and Higher Education and on inclusion in sport.
Paul is also Chair of the University of Leicester Race Equality Action Group and a University Distinguished Teaching Fellow.
The LIIHE will be hosted by the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, but will act as a cross-University innovation hub for educational enhancement and inclusion in Higher Education.
It will deliver a deep understanding of the University’s specific educational and student context, building a strong evidence and research-base from which effective strategies and interventions can be developed and the University can deliver its Access and Participation Plan commitments.
In addition, the LIIHE will be active in building sustainable partnerships, internally and externally, with a view to influencing sector policy and practice nationally and internationally.