Meet University Council: Dr Paul Preston

This is the first in a new regular series introducing Council members to colleagues and the wider University community.

Council is the ultimate governing body of our University and ensures that our institution is properly governed and meets all of its legal and regulatory requirements. Amongst its tasks is monitoring the University Strategy, as well as appointing the Vice-Chancellor and the University Executive Board.  

Council is made up of 27 members in total, including 15 members external to the University known as lay members.  

Dr Paul Preston, President of the Council

Dr Paul Preston has served as President since 2016, having joined as a lay member in 2010. Paul graduated with a PhD in Physiology from University College, Cardiff, before beginning an extensive career in the healthcare sector covering pharmaceutical research, drug development, and hospital management.

What is your role on Council?

As President I act as chair of the governing body and, through Council, I am responsible for ensuring that the University meets all of its legal, statutory and regulatory responsibilities. I try to ensure that at Council and in its Committees all members are encouraged to contribute to the discussion and that our decisions have taken account of those views. 

What is a good thing about being a member of the University Council?

The great thing about being on Council is that I get involved in so many different areas across all aspects of University life. I get the chance to talk to leading academics about their work, to support and encourage early stage researchers and postgraduates in developing their expertise, to spend time with students and use that experience to try to shape a more fulfilling student experience and of course to share with them and their parents their success at graduation and prize giving events. 

What are the biggest challenges facing the University and Council?

At this time the University faces a number of challenges and a certain degree of uncertainty brought about by the recent pandemic. It is difficult to balance the need to respond to the changing circumstances brought about by COVID and to focus on the changes that we need to make, supported by our evolving strategy, to ensure that we have a responsive, sustainable, and engaged organisation fit for the future.

Colleagues have been fantastic, making good progress in both areas, and have worked exceptionally hard in very difficult circumstances. This is very evident from papers that we receive at Council and from the resulting discussion. I must therefore thank all of our colleagues for the progress that has been made and for their hard work and dedication in these exceptional times.

What are you passionate about regarding the Council or the University Strategy?

Both of my parents left school at fourteen, but they were keen that I should take advantage of the educational opportunity that was offered to me. Because of this I have been given opportunities that they did not have, and I am therefore passionate about the ability that education has to transform lives. This is why I wanted to become involved with the University and to join Council where I could give something back to my community but also in a very small way help others in their life journey. Whilst we can take pleasure from celebrating the success of the best, we should remember that not everyone can achieve that and our focus should also be on helping everyone to be the best that they can be. 

Our strategy centres around sustainability, engagement, community and responsibility and we are in a great position to use our expertise in climate science, agriculture and food production, health, the built environment and business management to ensure that the University can address many of the problems facing the world and to be part of the solution and not contributing to the problem. We are trying to make the world a better place and in my role on Council I play an extremely small part in that, but I still think that it would make my parents proud.

What has been your single biggest learning during your time as a Council member?

I think that I have begun to temper my enthusiasm to embrace good ideas and get things done and I have realised that universities are complex organisations and that change takes time. So I think that I have learnt to be more patient but I am not sure if colleagues would agree with that.

For more information about University Council

• Council webpage
• All-staff briefing: a conversation with Council members (Wednesday 1 December)
• Dr Paul Preston’s biography