New Chair of JISC appointed

04 August 2008

Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, has been appointed as the new Chair of JISC from 1 January 2009. The appointment was announced today by HEFCE, on behalf of the UK funding bodies (Note 1).

Professor O'Shea is a graduate of the Universities of Sussex and Leeds. He has worked in the United States and for the Open University (OU). At the OU he founded the Computer Assisted Learning Research Group and worked on a range of educational technology research and development projects. There he also held a personal chair in Information Technology and Education and, in 1993, was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor. In 1997 he was elected Master of Birkbeck College and subsequently appointed Provost of Gresham College and Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of London. He was appointed Principal of the University of Edinburgh in 2002, having previously worked as a research fellow in the University's Department of Artificial Intelligence during the 1970s.

Commenting on Tim O'Shea's appointment, John Selby, Director of Education and Participation at HEFCE, said:

'I am delighted that Tim has accepted this important post. JISC make a huge contribution to the higher education sector through the development and promotion of new technology and by supporting universities and colleges. Tim's wide experience in educational technology will be of great significance to the JISC Board and the way it develops its role over the next few years.'

Professor O'Shea commented:

'I'm very pleased to be appointed to this role. Not only is it wonderful to be involved at the heart of a national treasure like JISC but, because its work is central to the concerns facing universities and colleges across the UK, JISC has a critical role to play over the coming years. I was personally involved in establishing London's Metropolitan Area Network, in particular ensuring that its advantages were shared by London's colleges, and working to bring JISC's benefits to as wide a group as possible will be an ongoing concern of mine.'

JISC is responsible for supporting the innovative use of information and communication technologies to support learning, teaching, and research in the UK. It is best known for providing JANET (the high-speed computer network for the academic community), a wide range of innovation programmes and projects, support, content and advisory services, and a portfolio of high-quality resources.

Notes

1. The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) is funded by HEFCE, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills in Wales, and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland. JISC works in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council and the UK Research Councils.

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