Professor Paul O’Prey, as our Vice-Chancellor, has been instrumental in driving forward positive change. Throughout my time here as a student and now a member of staff, I have been fortunate to witness and experience life at this wonderful university under Paul’s leadership. Paul’s compassion for staff and students, and his commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Widening Participation, has been a force for good, with tangible results coming through this.

Personally, I have learned a lot about what it means to be an effective leader under Paul and I’m so grateful that I was able to be a Vice President and President of the Students’ Union during his 15 years as our Vice-Chancellor.

The University of Roehampton is a unique place because of the breadth of diversity that each of our students brings with them. Our students and their worlds are so different and often complex, but they chose Roehampton as the place that they would like to be shaped, developed and call home.

Many of our students, when asked, speak about this ‘transformational’ experience that they receive at Roehampton: one that is ‘unique to them’ and ‘everlasting’. It is clear to me that this experience is not something that is dropped at the gates of the University when our students graduate, but one that our students take out into the world with them. They live in Roehampton and Roehampton continues to live in them, so it’s never a goodbye, but more of a see you soon.