York St John welcomes the appointment of Professor Les Ebdon as new Director of OFFA

York St John University has welcomed the appointment of Professor Les Ebdon as the new Director of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).

Professor Les Ebdon was formally announced as the new Director of OFFA on Monday 20 February. Professor Ebdon is Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Bedfordshire and also Head of the think tank Million+ group, which represents new universities. He will take over from Sir Martin Harris, OFFA’s outgoing director, later this year.

Commenting on Professor Ebdon’s appointment, Professor David Fleming Vice Chancellor of York St John University, said:

“York St John University is very pleased at the announcement of the appointment of Professor Les Ebdon as the new director of OFFA. Professor Ebdon has a wealth of experience, gained through a lifetime working in higher education, which will bring many benefits to the role and equip him to deal fairly with all parts of the sector.”

Professor Fleming added:

“OFFA plays a vital role in the higher education sector and the University is committed to the principles of fair access which OFFA endorses.”

York St John University has a strong track record and commitment to working in the community to raise aspirations, participation and success in education. The University is rated in the top 20 of UK institutions for student assessment of quality of teaching in the most recent National Student Survey and has a well-developed strategy for student number growth. It currently recruits over 90% of its students from a state school background.

OFFA is an independent, non-departmental public body established under the Higher Education Act 2004 to help promote and safeguard fair access to higher education. All English universities and colleges offering full-time undergraduate higher education courses are required to have an access agreement with OFFA in order to charge higher fees.