Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education Professor John Craig elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences

Posted Monday 9 September 2024

Kingston University's Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education has been conferred a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Professor John Craig has received the award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field, having held a range of leadership positions dedicated to social sciences within the higher education sector.

A political scientist by training, Professor Craig currently serves as Honorary Secretary of the Political Studies Association (PSA). An avid supporter of the PSA's work, he co-founded and chaired its Teaching and Learning Specialist Group for thirteen years and acted as Co-Chair of the association's Teaching and Learning Network for another four years. During this time, Professor Craig played a leading role in the establishment of pedagogic studies as a research subfield of politics and international relations within the UK and internationally.

Having held various leadership positions at the Higher Education Academy, Professor Craig led the delivery of national programmes focused on enhancing the teaching of social sciences. He also served as Chair of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education's Politics and International Relations Subject Benchmark Review Panel.

Other contributions to the field include serving as Chair of the Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH) and working on the British Academy's Strategic Forum for Social Sciences.

Professor Craig is an advocate for the role social sciences play in solving some of today's global issues. "Social sciences can help us to understand human behaviour," he said. "We know much of the science behind issues such as climate change and chronic illnesses, but how we overcome these challenges are often questions around human behaviour and the constraints and social structures under which people live."

An experienced academic, Professor Craig worked in leadership roles in the social sciences at the Higher Education Academy, University of Huddersfield, Teesside University, and Leeds Beckett University, at which he served as Dean of Social Sciences. In 2022, he was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education at Kingston University. He has been instrumental in implementing Future Skills, the University's new progressive model of education, which is equipping students with the skills businesses have said are essential for long-term economic success.

Future Skills will not only enable students to make an impact in their professional lives, but also as an active citizen in society, Professor Craig explained. "It equips our students with the capabilities to help address the challenges we face as a society," he said. "As the world keeps on evolving at an ever-faster pace, we need to develop new skills throughout our lives to be effective at adapting to change and that's what we are teaching our students through Future Skills."

His other highlights at Kingston include overseeing the University's submission for the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), which resulted in Kingston University becoming one of 26 providers in the UK to be awarded TEF Gold in all three categories.

Professor Craig joins 44 other leading UK social scientists to be conferred the award of Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. New Fellows are recognised, after an independent peer review process, for the excellence and impact of their work and their wider contributions to the social sciences for public benefit. The Academy's Fellowship comprises 1,600 leading social scientists from academia, the public, private and third sectors.

Will Hutton FAcSS, President of the Academy, explained the breadth of expertise these Fellows bring to the Academy. "It's a pleasure to welcome these 45 leading social scientists to the Academy's Fellowship. Their substantial contributions to social science and wider society have furthered our understanding of the social and environmental factors related to population health, changing cultures of inequality, children and young people's experiences of gaming and gambling, the importance of diversity and inclusion in organisations, and how businesses can contribute to the sustainable development goals, amongst many others. We look forward to working with them to further promote the important role the social sciences play in our daily lives." 