Higher Education Taskforce

Abdul-Rasheed Na'Allah, with a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Alberta, Canada, was the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Nigeria, for two terms of ten years after which he has spent five years as the 6th Vice-Chancellor of the Nigerian Federal University of Abuja, Abuja, at the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. A widely published author, poet and scholar, Na'Allah introduced strategies that led to a sustainable funding of the Kwara State University for his last five years in KWASU when the state government withdrew its subvention. As the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, he estbalished a fundraising tradition intended to complement annual funding from the Nigerian federal governement. He found the Institute of Philanthropy and Social Innovation at the University of Abuja to produce human resources for West Africa and Africa in support of a culture of giving and fundraising for African tertiary institutions that have traditionally lacked such culture.

Professor Sir Hilary Beckles is Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies. He is a distinguished academic, international thought leader, United Nations committee official, and global public activist in the field of social justice and minority empowerment. Sir Hilary is a director of SAGICOR Financial Corporation PLC, the largest financial company in the Caribbean region, Chairman of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), the former chairman of The University of the West Indies Press, Chairman of the Caribbean Community [CARICOM] Commission on Reparation and Social Justice, President of Universities Caribbean, an editor of the UNESCO General History of Africa series and a Director of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. He has also served as an advisor to the UN World Culture Report and Advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations on Sustainable Development. He is a past Vice President of the International Task Force for the UNESCO Slave Route Project and a past consultant for the UNESCO Cities for Peace Global Programme. He is a member of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the United Nations University. He has received numerous awards, including Honorary Doctor of Letters from Brock University, the University of Glasgow, University of Hull, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, in recognition of his major contribution to academic research on transatlantic slavery, popular culture, and sport. In 2017, the Town of Hartford in the state of Connecticut (USA), declared 21st March, 'Sir Hilary Beckles Day' in recognition of his global contribution to social justice and human equality. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Award for global advocacy, academic scholarship and intellectual leadership in support of social justice, institutional equity, and economic development for marginalised and oppressed ethnicities and nations.
Under his leadership as Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, the institution established a fifth Campus – the Five Islands Campus in Antigua and Barbuda, and debuted in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Ranking in 2019 when it was ranked in the top 4% of the world’s best universities. In 2020 The UWI earned a “triple first” accolade – as the number one university in the Caribbean, among the top 1% in Latin America and top 1% of worldwide universities between 50 and 80 years old. Continuing its upward trajectory, in 2021, The UWI was ranked among the top 1.5% of universities ranked globally by the THE. Sir Hilary has spearheaded an aggressive global reputation building strategy, which has resulted in ten global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. He also forged strategic industry partnerships to allow for the widened penetration of The UWI brand through new media channels and 24/7 cable television programming made possible by the creation of a public information and education service – UWITV. Sir Hilary has lectured extensively in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas and has published over 100 peer reviewed essays in scholarly journals and more than 20 academic books.

Dr Kim Brooks began her five-year term as Dalhousie's 13th President and Vice-Chancellor in August 2023, after serving as Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic. She previously served as Dean of the Schulich School of Law from 2010-15 and as Dean of the Faculty of Management from 2020-22.  A 3M Teaching Fellow, Dr. Brooks has held the H. Heward Stikeman Chair in the Law of Taxation at McGill University and the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law at Dalhousie in addition to academic appointments at Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia. Prior to entering the academy, she worked as a tax lawyer with Stikeman Elliott in their Toronto and London (UK) offices. Among her numerous board and professional roles, she has been Chair of the Halifax Public Libraries Board, President of the Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Response, President of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, and Chair of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. Dr. Brooks holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, a LL.M. from York University, a LL.B from UBC and a BA from the University of Toronto.

Professor S Bruce Dowton joined the University in September 2012 as the fifth Vice-Chancellor of Macquarie University. He is a paediatrician, clinical geneticist, molecular biologist, researcher and academic. Prior to his appointment, Professor Dowton served as a senior medical executive having held a range of positions in university, healthcare and consulting organisations. He also served as a
paediatrician at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, and as Clinical Professor of Paediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He is widely published and has held visiting professorial and external examiner appointments at several universities including the University of Edinburgh,
Columbia University in New York, the University of Tromsø in Norway, Hong Kong University, as well as institutions in the People’s Republic of China. He currently teaches in programs around
international health systems, organisational culture, dynamics and leadership in complex adaptive systems.

Professor Dr C Raj Kumar, a Rhodes Scholar, is the Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in India. He was appointed as the VC at the age of 34 in 2009 when the university was established. He conceived the idea of establishing India's first 'Global University' and with the philanthropic support (US$ 100 Million) of Mr. Naveen Jindal, established JGU in Sonipat, Haryana in 2009. He has academic qualifications from the University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Hong Kong, University of Delhi and Loyola College. He is an Attorney at Law and is admitted to the Bar Council of Delhi, India and the Bar of the State of New York, USA. His areas of specialisation include human rights and development, terrorism and national security, corruption and governance, law and disaster management, comparative constitutional law and higher education. He has over two hundred publications to his credit including nine books and has published widely in journals and law reviews in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and USA.

Rhonda L Lenton is the eighth President and Vice-Chancellor of York University. A sociologist by training, her areas of teaching and research expertise include gender, family conflict, research methods and more recently, higher education. Her vision for positive change has guided the University’s success and leadership, particularly within the areas of 21st century learning, research and innovation, sustainability, global health and social justice. In addition to her roles at York, Dr Lenton is actively involved in the higher education sphere. She is currently the Chair of the Council of Ontario Universities and has been nominated for a second term as a member of the Universities Canada International Committee. She is also a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Executive Committee, the ACU Higher Education Taskforce, and the Canada School of Public Service’s External Advisory Committee. As of 2024, she is on the boards of ventureLAB, the Conference Board of Canada, the Loran Scholars Foundation, and the International Board of Advisers for the first-of-its-kind India Institute at O.P. Jindal Global University. 

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews since 2016, in which role she is responsible for the overall running of the institution and the creation and implementation of the University Strategy for 2022 to 2027. Dame Sally is a recognised leader in the higher education sector. Currently, she serves as President of Universities UK, Chair of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) Board, and as a trustee of the Europaeum. Before St Andrews, Dame Sally graduated from Wadham College, Oxford, with first-class honours in English Language and Literature in 1978. After working as an editor in the book publishing industry and obtaining her DPhil in 1986 for a thesis on the advice to princes tradition in Older Scots Literature, Dame Sally taught Medieval English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford as a Fellow of St Hilda’s College and was appointed Professor of Older Scots Literature in 2013. At Oxford, she also had a parallel career in senior leadership roles, serving as Junior Proctor (2006-7); Chair of the English Faculty Board, (2007-10); Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Personnel and Equality (2009-11), and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education (2011-6).

Sibongile Muthwa is the vice-chancellor of Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. She has a distinguished career both in South Africa and internationally, working in development and public-sector institutions, and in academia. She is the former Director of the University of Fort Hare Institute of Government; a former Director-General of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, South Africa; and the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Institutional Support, of Nelson Mandela University. She is deeply committed to gender justice, social inclusion and active democratic participation. She is the former Trustee of South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID). She was the Commissioner and Deputy Chair of the Financial and Fiscal Commission of South Africa. Until December 2023 she served for two terms as Chair of Universities South Africa (USAf), a membership organisation representing all 26 South African Public Universities. She is a member of the International Governing Board of the BRICS NU. She is a member and Trustee of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Council.

Professor Katie Normington joined De Montfort University, Leicester as Vice-Chancellor in 2021 from Royal Holloway, University of London, where she was Deputy Principal (Academic). At DMU she launched the new strategy of ‘The Empowering University’ and implemented Education 2030, a programme that delivers the education of the future now through block-mode, flexible, stackable modules which focus on employability, sustainability and equality. Under Katie’s tenure DMU became the first university to achieve a silver Race Equality Charter and the renewal as a UN Academic Impact Hub for SGD 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Katie is a Professor of Drama. Her research focuses on theatre history – in particular, medieval English drama and contemporary theatre practice. She has published six books in these areas and continues to write articles within the field.