The leader of the self-styled UK’s European university, Dame Julia Goodfellow has received significant credit for the way the University of Kent responded to the outcome of the EU referendum. As President of Universities UK, however, her report card is more mixed given the Universities for Europe campaign, which has received some criticism plus she’s not as visible as some former presidents. Goodfellow will remain President of UUK until July 2017, when she will also step down from Kent after ten years in post.
She is well-networked in Whitehall as a former BBSRC Chief Executive and a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology. The fall in ranking this year represents the fact that she has now begun a long departure from her institution and national sector politics. But the UUK presidency remains a vital link between the sector and the top of government, and so Julia Goodfellow remains a significant player for now.