[The academic procession into the marquee]
Just three and a half miles from Bath city centre, and my husband and l slipped into a rural ‘heaven’ yesterday evening as we drove through the gates of the historic Newton Park estate.
It’s the Grade 11* listed ‘home’ of the University of Bath Spa – or BSU as l must now get used to calling it following a re-branding of the Institution in March.
With a welcome change in the weather, we had glorious May reflected in all the greenery that surrounds the driveway through sheep-filled fields and wooded slopes to the main Georgian Manor House – which sits in the middle of an otherwise modern main campus.
It was a lovely setting to gather, with others, to witness the installation of a new university Chancellor.
She’s Singapore-born Sharanjit Leyl – a fellow former broadcaster – who spent 18 years working with BBC World News covering business and politics – anchoring from its Asia bureau and from London’s Broadcasting House.
Sharanjit follows in the footsteps of actor Jeremy Irons as Chancellor of a relatively new ‘kid on the academic block’. BSU was only granted full university status in 2005. She says she actually ‘spilled her coffee’ when asked if she would take on the role but was ‘truly humbled and honoured’ to accept.
She’s been a film maker and producer for her media roles but also flies around the world working as an international moderator and conference chair.
Sharanjit has only lived in Bath for two years but has also accepted the roles of being a trustee for the Bath Fashion Museum and a board member of the Holburne Museum.
It’s a handy connection – between university and local authority – as future plans for the new Fashion Museum include building storage facilities for the collection on or near BSU’s Locksbrook Campus where the university is developing a new Centre for Fashion and Sustainability. A shared development interest there.
We came away from the event thinking what a friendly place BSU was and wish Sharanjit the very best of luck in her new role.
I am sure her drive and broadcasting background will inspire many of the creative students – pursuing academic careers in music, media, theatre and art – both here at the main campus and elsewhere across the city.
