Nominations for new Chair of UCML

News summary

University Council of Modern Languages (UCML) are seeking nominations for a new Chair to take up post in January 2007 when Roger Woods' term of office comes to an end.

The post of Chair of the University Council of Modern Languages becomes vacant in January 2007, and nominations are now invited. Candidates should be in a department that is a member of UCML and should be nominated and seconded by two members of the UCML General Council.

Details of the work of UCML are available on their website.

Job description

The work of the Chair of UCML broadly covers the following areas:

Chairing meetings of the UCML Executive Committee, presenting issues for discussion and action (approx. 4 times per year).

Chairing Plenary meetings of UCML twice a year, presenting issues and reporting on UCML's work and achievements, and gaining the views of members.

Discussing HE Language Policy and trends with DfES (via the Higher Education Implementation Group) AHRC, HEFCE, and other government agencies and coordinating/participating in drafting bids to these and other agencies in order to strengthen languages at HE level in the UK.

Working with key partners such as LLAS (Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies), CILT, Specialist Schools Trust to promote languages in the UK.

Representing the HE languages sector on other bodies. Currently these include:

(NB Some of these representation functions may be taken on by other members of UCML Executive Committee by agreement)

Presenting issues concerning Modern Languages in the media and responding to media enquiries about languages and UK language policy.

Supporting/advising other organisations such as subject-specific professional associations and individual university departments.

The above tasks require 40-50 days per year. It may be possible for the incoming Chair to receive support from his or her home institution in the form of buyout from teaching and/or administrative tasks.

Any colleague interested in the post is welcome to contact the current Chair, Professor Roger Woods (roger.woods@nottingham.ac.uk), for an informal discussion of what the post entails.

Nominations

Download: nomination form (Word, 26Kb)
Please return the form to UCML Hon. Secretary Cecilia Garrido at b.c.garrido@open.ac.uk by 5 January 2007.